KABUL – Inside details of the Afghan Taliban and US peace talks in Qatarhave been revealed by Afghan media.
During the first day of talks on Saturday, the focus of discussion was onthe reduction of violence that is intended to lead to intra-Afghannegotiations and a ceasefire, according to a US source.
A Taliban source said that so far, the two sides have held discussions onthe reduction of violence, ceasefire and intra-Afghan negotiations, but theTaliban has mostly focused on signing the original agreement with the US,TOLO News has reported.
According to the source, the first day of the talks continued for fourhours.
“The first day of the talks was focused on the reduction of violence,ceasefire and intra-Afghan negotiations, but they discussed the draftagreement today (Saturday),” said Mawlawi Qalamuddin, a member of theformer Taliban regime.
The deputy head of the High Peace Council, Haji Din Mohammad, said he metthe US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul last week and that theydiscussed the US’s plan for peace in Afghanistan.
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“Mr. Khalilzad said that when the talks begin–first, a ceasefire willhappen between the US and the Taliban,” he explained. “He (Khalilzad) alsosaid the US will protect Afghanistan if it is attacked and it will notallow the war in Afghanistan to continue.”
“The United States is moving forward in coordination with the Afghangovernment. Violence will be reduced when the (intra-Afghan) negotiationsbegin and this will result in a ceasefire,” said Dawa Khan Minapa, apresidential spokesman. “Also, they will focus on terrorists’ hideoutsoutside of Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, the US Defense Secretary Mark Esper at the Reagan NationalDefense Forum on Saturday said he wants to prioritize the deployment of USforces to the Asia-Pacific region from other areas, including Afghanistan,according to a report by Bloomberg.
