During a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar, United States Ambassador to Kabul Ross Wilson stressed the need for permanent ceasefire and violence reduction in the country.
The Foreign Ministry said in a press release the meeting took place on Monday morning.
According to the statement, the two sides during the meeting discussed the start of peace talks, progress in the peace process, the provision of a comprehensive ceasefire, and the establishment of a mechanism to monitor the reduction of violence.
They also discussed opportunities for expanding tripartite relations between Afghanistan, the United States, and Central Asian countries as part of a regional mobilization for the peace process in Afghanistan, the statement added.
On the other hand, U.S. diplomat assured his country’s commitment and cooperation to Afghanistan.
However, Women Affairs Department officials and women’s rights activists held a gathering in southeastern Khost province on Monday and urged the Afghan government and the Taliban to declare a permanent ceasefire.
The gathering was organized by the Women Affairs Department in cooperation with the Afghan Development Association (ADA) on the occasion of International Day of Peace.
The participants of the gathering in Khost City spoke against the ongoing war in the country.
Shafie Noorzai, the Khost women affairs department head, told the gathering that the ongoing war had hurt the women more than anyone else, so it was important for every citizen to do their best to bring peace.
She also urged the warring parties to pay attention to women rights in the ongoing intra-Afghan talks.
She said, “”As our ambassadors, you have to take our message to people in villages and towns that only men cannot play role in peace, but women also must play a constructive role.”
Nasrin Ahsani, a women’s right activist, told the gathering that women had been ignored and the issue required decisions on national level.
She welcomed the ongoing intra-Afghan peace negotiations in Qatar but said the two sides should not ignore their say in the ongoing talks.
A number of other women’s rights activists held similar views and urged the warring parties not to reject their part in the peace talks.
Abdul Saboor Hadi, ADA head in Khost, told the gathering that women’s participation in peace talks would be more important as they suffered the most.
He urged women in villages and towns to raise their voice against violence in Afghanistan.
