KABUL – *Following the announcement of a temporarily ceasefire by Afghangovernment with the Taliban, the United States on Thursday said it is readyto participate in talks with the Taliban. *

Deputy Assistant to US President Donald Trump and Senior Director forCentral Asia at the National Security Council, Lisa Curtis, said US cannotact on behalf of Afghan officials in the peace talks with the Taliban, butthey want to participate in the talks.

“The United States is ready to participate in the discussion, but we cannotserve as a substitute for the Afghan government and the Afghan people. Apolitical settlement must be negotiated through a process that isAfghan-lead and Afghan-owned,” said Curtis.

She said paying attention to Pakistan’s worries in the Afghan peace processis crucial.

“The fact is that the Afghan Taliban, including the Haqqnai network, hasenjoyed sanctuary in Pakistan throughout the past 16 years of conflict. Wehave asked for Pakistan’s assistance and facilitating a peace process andwe have sought understand Pakistan’s own core security concerns and ensurethat its interests are taken into account in any peace process,” Curtisadded.

Steve Brooking, Director of Peace and Reconciliation at the United NationsAssistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said the Afghan war does nothave a military solution and that it should be resolved through politics.

“Even the Taliban political commission say that there could be no militarysolution, there has to be a political solution. Unfortunately, there aremany people who still don’t fully subscribe,” he added.

Barnett Rubin, an American analyst, however said Pakistan, Russia, Chinaand Iran are not letting peace and stability to come to Afghanistan.

“The Taliban are under a very weak pressure to come to some kind ofagreement, because they have diplomatic relations with Russia, with Iran ofcourse, with Pakistan and more than diplomatic with China and so on,” Rubinsaid.

President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday announced a ceasefire with the Talibanfollowing a meeting of Afghanistan Ulema that issued a fatwa against theongoing war and violence in the country.