Amid efforts for political settlement of Afghan war, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, will visit Moscow, a Russian diplomat said on Monday.
Russian Foreign Ministry Second Asian Department Director Zamir Kabulov said at a press conference in Moscow that Khalilzad is planning to visit Russia to discuss a peace settlement.
“I’ve known Khalilzad for a long time. We’ll meet again – he is planning to visit us,” Kabulov told reporters.
The Taliban was ready to talk with official Kabul only after agreeing with the United States on a schedule for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan, Kabulov said.
“They said that they would be ready to talk with the Afghan government only after reaching an agreement with the Americans on the schedule for withdrawing all foreign troops from Afghanistan. As a confidence-building measure, the Taliban preliminarily demand the release of all political prisoners and the cancellation of anti-Taliban sanctions imposed on them back in 1997,” Kabulov said at a press conference.
The November 9 meeting of the Moscow format on Afghanistan may be considered a breakthrough, because for the first time the Taliban attended it, which is the first step toward further full-format peace talks, according to Kabulov.
The US presence does not solve problems in Afghanistan, and Moscow does not compete with Washington in a settlement in Afghanistan: the national interests of Russia and its allies are at stake, said Kabulov.
“The United States had enough time, 17 years, to do a lot of what it originally intended. But… If you remember, in 2001 the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan was zero, today the Taliban control more than 60 percent of the country — this is the presence of America and NATO in Afghanistan. What kind of presence is this, which does not solve the problem, but contributes to its growth? We do not need such leadership,” Kabulov stated.
According to him, the national security interests of Russia and its allies are at stake.
The launch of direct talks between official Kabul and the Taliban movement may be discussed with US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad during his visit to Russia, Zamir Kabulov noted.
“We will see. If he is ready for this, then [we do not rule out]. I cannot suppose in advance,” Kabulov said when asked whether the possibility of launching direct talks between the Afghan authorities and the Taliban movement would be discussed at a meeting in Moscow.
