*KABUL – The Taliban have asked the Afghan political parties to come upwith a team of negotiators amid escalated peace efforts to reach into apolitical settlement in Afghanistan, sources told Ariana News Tuesday. *
Though, the Taliban repeatedly refuse to engage in direct talks with theAfghan government – including in their recent six days of talks with U.S.officials in Qatar – sources told Ariana News that the armed group hasasked the Afghan political parties to introduce a negotiating team to beginface-to-face talks with their representatives.
“We respect the Taliban’s call. There should be a comprehensiveintra-Afghan dialogue. No sides should be sidelined including thegovernment,” said Hamayoun Jareer, a senior member of Hezb-e-Islami partyled by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
The Taliban did not comment in this regard yet.
Many Afghan politicians believe that without initiating intra-Afghandialogue, lasting peace cannot be ensured in the country.
“If the Taliban and the Afghan government don’t reach on a peace agreement,any kind of deal in this regard will lead into deepening the ongoing crisisin the country,” said Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, the head of Hezb-e-Islami.
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It comes as the U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad who has recently engaged in sixdays of talks with the Taliban in Qatar said that his meeting with theTaliban in Doha was much better than previous meetings.
He said there is a moment of opportunity and he hopes Afghans seize thisopportunity to put political differences aside and deal with “this momentpositively and urgently.”
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