ISLAMABAD – The United States and Taliban signed landmark peace agreementin Doha today bringing an end to the two decades old war in Afghanistan.
The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation ZalmayKhalilzad and representative of Taliban Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signedthe agreement.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Qatari Emir, US Secretary of StateMike Pompeo, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and his counterpartsfrom seven countries and representatives from fifty countries.
Speaking on the occasion, Leader of Taliban delegation Mullah Abdul GhaniBaradar expressed full commitment to the agreement by his side.
He said as a political force we want to maintain positive relations withall neighbors, regional countries and international community who played akey role in this agreement.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said we want unity and prosperity of our countryand for this reason I call upon all factions to make this deal working.
He especially thanked Pakistan for its assistance and support in making thedeal success.
He also appreciated the role of China, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Norway,Indonesia and other countries in supporting the peace process.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his address said the agreement is truetest of the effort to give peace a chance.
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He said it will ensure that Afghanistan never becomes a base of terroristsagain.
Mike Pompeo said reduction in violence is not perfect, but at least Talibandemonstrated that when they have the will to be peaceful, they can be.
Appreciating the US Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation ZalmayKhalilzad, he said he played a critical role in making the negotiationssuccessful.
He urged Taliban to sit with Afghan government to determine the course forfuture of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim AlThani said the signing of this agreement became possible after phasednegotiations and this will lead to the withdrawal of US forces fromAfghanistan.
He said the state of Qatar, its leadership and people are pleased towitness the signing of peace agreement that will lead to fruitful andsuccessful relations between the two sides.
