KABUL (Tolo News): Some members from each side in Doha, including the chiefnegotiators, held a meeting and discussed the agenda, said Republicnegotiator Nader Nadery. The meeting comes after days of delay. Over thenine days since the start of the second round of talks, the two sides haveheld four meetings, including, at the working group level, but they haven’thad progress in finalizing the agenda that will open the way for formaltalks.
“Afghans are seeking peace and ceasefire. Even one day that goes to wasteis a lot for them,” said Haji Din Mohammad, the deputy head of the HighCouncil for National Reconciliation. “Based on my information, both thegovernment and the Taliban are not interested in beginning the negotiationsahead of (Joe) Biden’s inauguration,” said Ata Mohammad Noor, the CEO ofJamiat-e-Islamic party.
“The Taliban leaders have arrived in Doha few days ago and I think thattheir absence in Doha was one of the reasons behind the delay in thenegotiations,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, former Taliban member. Meanwhile,National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib in a trip to the southernprovince of Helmand warned that the Taliban should embrace peace or theywill be faced with a response by security forces.
“We will fight against those who do not want peace,” Mohib said. This comesas violence has increased in the country in recent days, including targetedattacks in cities like Kabul. The Taliban claimed the responsibility for acomplex attack on an NDS facility in the southern province of Kandahar.Local officials said four attackers were killed in the attack that startedwith a car bomb explosion.
The officials said the attack took “no casualties” from Afghan forces.Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said that US special envoy ZalmayKhalilzad met with Abdul Ghani Baradar, head of the political office, andMawlawi Abdul Hakeem Haqqani, head of the negotiating team, and discussedthe peace agreement and emphasized that issues should be solved viadialogue and that every side should fulfill its responsibilities in a fairway.
Earlier, no progress has been made in finalizing the agenda for the peacenegotiations eleven days after the return of the negotiators of the IslamicRepublic of Afghanistan and the Taliban to Doha at a time that violence hastaken momentum in the country. At least seven provinces witnessed attacksby militants in less than 12 hours, leaving over 19 security force membersdead, according to officials. The incidents happened in Kabul, Herat,Baghlan, Laghman, Nangarhar, Kandahar and Helmand provinces.
Sources from both parties said that no meeting was held today between thecontact groups about agenda of the talks. “The delegates have held theirinternal meetings about preparing the subjects for the agenda and theircontents and are fully ready to conduct more talks on it,” said NajiaAnwari, a spokeswoman for the State Ministry for Peace Affairs. This comesa day after the US Department of Defense in a statement confirmed that thenumber of US forces in Afghanistan has reached 2,500 as directed byPresident Donald Trump.
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“Today, the United States is closer than ever to ending nearly two decadesof war and welcoming in an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led peace process toachieve a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensiveceasefire,” the statement said quoting US Acting Defense SecretaryChristopher Miller. A Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem welcomed the move asa step forward to resolve the conflict in the country.
“The withdrawal of more US forces from Afghanistan, which was announced bythe US yesterday, is a good advancement and practical measure,” Naeem said.“Undoubtedly, the practice of the agreement signed between the IEA and theUS is in the benefit of both countries.” He said that they remain committedto the agreement and want the same “from the other side.”
The US-Taliban deal signed on February 29 raised hopes among Afghans for areduction in violence but the Taliban in defiance of international calls,continued their attacks against the Afghan government forces. “In someextent, we have lost the authority, we are doing what the strangers tell usto do. I think if the ongoing scenario continues, this will never take usto peace,” said Sayed Ishaq Gailani, head of the National SolidarityMovement of Afghanistan. Initially, there were some rumors that main talkson the agenda will start in the wake of US forces withdrawal.
A potential agreement on the modality of the future political system inAfghanistan and a ceasefire were among the key topics that were debatedbetween the two sides over the past weeks. “Peace needs a price. We allshould be prepared to pay this logical price in the context of our pastviews and perception,” the speaker of Afghan parliament Mir Rahman Rahmanisaid.
