Kabul is hosting a meeting of 19 representatives from nations as well as international organizations today in a virtual event organized by the Presidential Palace to discuss peace and to build consensus on the reconciliation process in the country.
Representatives from the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other countries in the region are expected to attend the meeting.
The meeting will be hosted by acting Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar. President Ghani announced the meeting last week.
Presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi on Sunday said the government is committed to starting the intra-Afghan negotiations as soon as possible to ensure peace, stability and an end to the war in the country.
But the peace process still faces significant obstacles.
On Sunday, the Afghan government revealed that one of the main reasons behind the delay in the intra-Afghan negotiations was its refusal to release 597 prisoners out of the 5,000 inmates that were to be freed as part of the US-Taliban agreement signed in late February.
These individuals are accused of serious “moral crimes,” and are on a list that was given to the government by the Taliban, said Ahmad Rashid Totakhil, who heads up the prisoner release process.
According to the Afghan government, so far 4,015 Taliban prisoners have been released and the process will continue this week.
