KABUL – A conference for Afghanistan’s warring sides to a final peaceagreement postponed over non-participation of Taliban representatives.

The conference was scheduled for April 24 to fast-track an agreementbetween the Taliban and the Afghan government in light of the announcementby US that troops would leave Afghanistan by September 11.

A senior official of the Afghan government said the Istanbul meeting is nothappening on the given date as the Taliban refused to attend it. Meanwhile,the postponement was confirmed by two other sources as well.

US State Department spokesperson did not confirm the delay but said broaderdiplomatic efforts will continue as they have always been clear thatIstanbul was not a replacement for Doha.

The UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons, was in Doha last weekto discuss with Afghan parties “the best way the international communitycan support them in making progress on their negotiations toward a just anddurable political settlement,” officials said.

Taliban spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, speaking with an international mediaoutlet said that the group did not have any information about thepostponement and that he could not say anything about future dates for theconference post-Ramadan.

Earlier, the Taliban had refused to attend any summits until all foreignforces were pulled out of Afghanistan. The United States and Taliban lastyear agreed that all foreign forces would be withdrawn from Afghanistan byMay 1 but the date was pushed back last week by U.S. President Joe Biden.

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