KABUL – *Kabul has started discussions with Qatar government to close theTaliban’s office in Doha as it has had “no positive consequence in terms offacilitating the peace talks with the group in Afghanistan”, a seniorAfghan government official said. *

There is no need to keep the office open, said Mohammad Hanif Atmar, theNational Security Advisor to President Ashraf Ghani.

He made the remarks in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, a daily newspaperin the Middle East, this week.

“The (Taliban’s) Qatar office had no benefit for us even after seven years.We are discussing with Qatar government that this office had no positiveresult in the peace process and it is better to close it,” Atmar said inthe interview.

“The aim behind opening of this office was to start official peacenegotiations with the Taliban from the address, but so far no officialnegotiation from the office has been started with government. Even a singlestep has not been taken forward in the peace process through this office,”Qadir Shah, a spokesman for Atmar’s office said.

Atmar said in the interview that Kabul has so far witnessed no sign ofsincere cooperation from Islamabad in counterterrorism efforts.

This comes as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is set to includePakistan in its “grey list” of nations not doing enough to counter terrorfinancing and money laundering.

Commenting on this, President Ashraf Ghani’s deputy spokesman Dawa KhanMinapal, said: “Afghan government is trying to mobilize the neighboring andregional countries in anti-insurgency efforts through Kabul process.”

At least 10 days ago, the United States put forward a motion to placePakistan on a global terrorist-financing watchlist with the FATF.Washington has asked France and Germany to support the move againstPakistan.