KABUL – A setback has been reported in Afghanistan peace talks asreportedly Afghan Taliban have refused to hold direct talks with government.
Afghan High Peace Council (HPC) on Friday has set condition of Afghangovernment direct meeting with Taliban for sending its delegation to themeeting.
The date of the Jeddah talks will be specified by Saudi Arabia incollaboration with other participants of the meeting, said Ehsan Taheri theHPC spokesman.
Taheri said government will send its delegation to Jeddah talks if they areensured that face-to-face talks will be held between the delegation andTaliban representatives.
In Abu Dhabi talks which were held between US and Taliban officials, themilitant group refused to meet the Afghan government delegation who werein the UAE for holding proximity talks with the group.
The Afghan government last week said it will not send a delegation toJeddah meeting if Taliban representatives refuse to meet their team.
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“The issue of Jeddah is completely different. No doubt, Afghanistanshould be involved in this meeting. It is not negotiation, but it is theissue of Afghanistan peace and it is about trust building and government’sprecondition is that government should be strongly assured that theexperience of Abu Dhabi will not be repeated,” Taheri said.
The Jeddah meeting was supposed to be held on January 04.
Commenting on reports about Jeddah meeting, Taliban spokesman ZabihullahMujahid said in a message to TOLOnews that they do not have Jeddah meetingin their plan and that the reports released about the meeting were notreal.
Political analysts said Taliban spokesman’s remarks on Jeddah meetingindicate that the efforts of US, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United ArabEmirates for bringing the group to negotiations table have faced newhurdles.
