The US peace envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted that he discussed Afghan peace with President Ashraf Ghani and Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in Doha on Monday night, adding that the US supports an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process and remains ready to assist.
“I told the president Afghans should not let the opportunity for peace to slip away. He said he supports the Islamic Republic negotiators doing their work as long as it takes. I said I’m encouraged by what I heard from all sides, including the two teams’ commitment to peace,” Khalilad said in a tweet.
“We call on all nations, especially the neighbors and other key players, to do the same,” he said.
“A significant reduction in violence will save lives; increase trust; broaden support for peace; and help the negotiating teams make progress at a faster pace. This is what the Afghan people want. And the United States stands with them,” Khalilzad said.
“Violence is too high, and too many Afghans are dying,” Khalilzad said, adding that “We are pressing for a significant reduction in violence that will lead to a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.”
“General Miller and I affirmed ongoing US support to Afghanistan, our partnership, and a peace process meant to produce a political settlement and an end to decades of war,” he further said.
Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Gen. Miller met with the Taliban deputy leader Abdul Ghani Baradar and discussed the implementation of the Doha agreement, calling it “significant for the resolution of Afghanistan issue.”
President Ghani visited Kuwait and Qatar on Monday, meeting with leaders from both countries, discussing bilateral ties as well as seeking support for the Afghan peace process, according to the presidential spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi.
Ghani also met with peace negotiators of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Doha. The negotiators said the president’s trip is not directly related to the peace negotiations. but will boost international support for peace.
The opening ceremony for the negotiations was held on September 12, but the two sides of the talks have not yet started their direct negotiations. However, they have held over seven meetings between their contact groups to discuss procedural rules for the talks.
The two sides have yet to agree on two matters: the religious basis for the talks and the relevance of the US-Taliban deal with the negotiations.
