The US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation on Saturday met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul, a day after he held talks in Qatar with Taliban leaders.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born US adviser and former US ambassador to Afghanistan, briefed Ghani and Abdullah on October 13 about his meetings with senior ministers and top diplomats in four countries as part of a diplomatic mission aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
Since Khalilzad last visited Kabul on October 4, his tour has taken him to Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
Taliban on Saturday confirmed that its representatives met with Khalilzad a day before in Qatari capital Doha.
In a statement, the group said that end to “occupation” and a peaceful solution to the Afghan conflict were discussed in the meeting.
Taliban claimed their representatives told the US veteran diplomat that foreign troop’s presence in Afghanistan was a major obstacle to peace in the country.
They also said that Afghanistan is an Islamic country and has its own Islamic values and culture, according to the statement.
The sides agreed to continue to hold meetings in future, the statement read.
Sher Mohammad Abbas, head of Taliban’s political office in Qatar, his deputy Abdul Salam Hanafi and members Sheikh Shahabuddin Dilawar, Din Mohammad Hanif, Mohammad Zahid Hamadzai and Mohammad Sohail Shahin were representing the Taliban in the meeting, according to the statement.
The meeting is second between the US and the Taliban in four months with the previous one involving another US diplomat Alice Wells.
Earlier, Ambassador Khalilzad during his visit to Kabul called on the government and the Taliban to form their teams for negotiations.
Khalilzad was appointed in September as President Donald Trump’s special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation as part of renewed efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.
A statement from the Afghan president’s office on October 13 said Khalilzad told Ghani and Abdullah that the United States was “ready to do anything to help with the peace process,” but insisted the process should be led by the Afghan government.
