*ISLAMABAD – US Department of State said that envoys from Pakistan, Russia,US and China in their recent meeting on peace in Afghanistan reaffirmedtheir support for Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, and territorialintegrity.*
“The Special Representatives of Russia, China, and the United States ofAmerica held their fourth consultation on the Afghan peace process inMoscow on October 25, 2019. Russia, China, the United States and Pakistanalso held the second round of four-party consultations. Respectful of thesovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Afghanistan,participants discussed ways to support the Afghan people’s desire for alasting peace.”
1. Acknowledged the widespread and sincere demand of the Afghan peoplefor lasting peace and an end to the war.
2. Reviewed the current situation in Afghanistan and their joint effortsto reach a sustainable settlement in the country by political anddiplomatic means.
3. Confirmed that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through anegotiated political settlement.
4. Committed to work with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, bothgovernment leaders and others, and the Taliban to reach a comprehensive andsustainable peace agreement that ends the war for the benefit of allAfghans and that contributes to regional stability and global security.
5. In order to create an environment conducive for negotiations, urgedall sides to immediately reduce violence.
6. Stated their expectations that all sides will observe a ceasefire forthe duration of intra-Afghan negotiations to enable participants to reachagreement on a political roadmap for Afghanistan’s future.
7. Called on the Afghan government and the Taliban to releasesignificant numbers of prisoners at the start of intra-Afghan negotiations.
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8. Reaffirmed that any peace agreement must include protections for therights of all Afghans, including women, men, children and minorities, andshould respond to the strong desire of Afghans for economic, social, andpolitical development including rule of law.
9. Called on all Afghans including the government and the Taliban toensure international terrorists do not use Afghan soil to threaten thesecurity of any other country.
10. Highlighted the importance of fighting illegal drug production andtrafficking and urged all sides to eliminate the drug threat in Afghanistan.
11. Encouraged all concerned countries to support the Afghan people andcontribute to a lasting peace settlement in the interest of all.
12. Welcomed the Chinese proposal to host the next intra- Afghan meeting inBeijing with the participation of a wide range of political figures of theIslamic Republic of Afghanistan, including representatives of theGovernment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, other Afghan leaders andthe Taliban.
13. Noted the importance of current consultations with further involvementof other interested actors on the basis of the trilateral consensus agreedon April 25, 2019 in Moscow.
14. Expressed their appreciation to the Russian side for organizing thefour- party consultations and agreed to settle the date and venue of thenext meeting through diplomatic channels.
