The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has hailed what he called “significant progress” made by the US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, after six days of talks with the Taliban in Qatar.
“Encouraging news from [Khalilzad],” Pompeo wrote on his Twitter page.
“The US is serious about pursuing peace, preventing Afghanistan from continuing to be a space for international terrorism and bringing forces home. Working with the Afghan govt and all interested parties, the US seeks to strengthen Afghan sovereignty, independence and prosperity,” Pompeo tweeted.
Pompeo’s optimistic remarks come after Khalilzad said progress had been made in six days of discussions with the Taliban in Qatar.
He cautioned on Twitter that no deal had been finalized with the militants, but he said further talks would resume shortly.
He also said that he was flying back to Afghanistan to discuss the talks.
“Meetings here were more productive than they have been in the past. We have made significant progress on vital issues,” Khalilzad said in a tweet.
“We have a number of issues left to work out,” he said, while adding that “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed, and ‘everything’ must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive ceasefire.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that while there was “progress” at the meetings, reports of an agreement on a ceasefire and talks with Kabul “are not true.”
“Since issues are of critical nature and need comprehensive discussions, therefore it was decided that talks about unresolved matters will resume in similar future meetings,” Mujahid said.
Mullah Baradar to take part in talks?
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the new head of Taliban’s Qatar office and the third deputy head of Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the group, will join his fellow Taliban members as part of the current talks team, sources from inside the Taliban said.
Mullah Baradar was appointed as new head of Qatar office and deputy head of Akhundzada on January 24.
In addition to Akhundzada, Taliban’s leadership team has also changed the heads of 13 military and non-military commissions of the group.
The new changes in the group’s management body have been made for the sake of strengthening Taliban’s political team leading the talks with the US, sources from inside Taliban added.
