The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Sunday night as part of his multi-nation trip on Afghan peace, his fourth visit to Kabul since last September.
According to the US Department of State, Khalilzad will consult with Afghan government and other Afghans about the status of US talks with the Taliban, encourage efforts to form an inclusive negotiating team, and discuss next steps in intra-Afghan discussions and negotiations.
In a tweet late on Monday, Khalilzad said he met CEO Abdullah Abdulalh and discussed intra-Afghan dialogue.
“Had productive meeting and lunch with Chief Executive Abdullah and Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani. We discussed how the international community can best support them in an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process,” Khalilzad said.
He also met with President Ghani’s Chief of Staff Abdul Salam Rahimi and Ghani’s Special Envoy for consensus on peace Umer Daudzai.
“We discussed the urgency of making progress on intra-Afghan dialogue,” Khalilzad said.
In the meantime, Khalilzad also had a meeting with some Afghan women, reiterated women’s role in negotiations.
“Met with Kabul and provincial representatives of the Afghan Women’s Network to discuss many issues. While Afghans alone will decide the composition of their delegation for talks, women must be at the table during all negotiations about peace & Afghanistan’s future,” he tweeted later.
In this trip, Khalilzad is traveling to Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Qatar from March 25 to April 10, according to the US Department of State.
The US special envoy held meetings with his counterparts at the European Union in Belgium last week where they discussed their shared values.
“We talked about our countries’ shared values, and about the meaningful political and social gains in Afghanistan over the last 18 years, especially for women and children, which must be prioritized in the peace process,” Khalilzad said in a tweet last week.
In his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on March 29, Khalilzad briefed the NATO allies on the Afghan peace talks.
“NATO and US forces serve shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan. Our shared goal is to reach a peace agreement worthy of the sacrifices made over decades of war. Together we’re committed to achieving genuine intra-Afghan dialogue on a political settlement that ends the conflict,” Khalilzad said.
