The United States and the United Kingdom have called for intra-Afghan peace talks to begin ‘without delay’.
U.S. national security adviser RobertO’Brien has said that he had a phone call with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Monday to discuss the need for intra-Afghan talks to start without delay.
During the call, he also reiterated U.S. support for a sovereign, democratic, and unified Afghanistan that never again serves as a source of international terrorism.
The U.S. stands with the Afghan security forces who have made tremendous sacrifices for the Afghan people, O’Brien said on Twitter.
Meanwhile, the UK Embassy in Kabul in a statement on Tuesday condemned the continuing violence and targeted attacks and called for intra-Afghan talks to begin without further delay.
“There is an historic opportunity to bring an end to the conflict through a negotiated settlement with the Taliban,” the statement said. “To realise this, the violence must stop, the targeted killing of civilians must stop and all parties must demonstrate their commitment to a negotiated solution and to peace by agreeing to the start of intra-Afghan negotiations without further delay.”
“We commend the bravery of Afghanistan’s people, her leaders, defence and security forces, civil society leaders, activists and citizens. They face dangers in conducting their daily lives and defending and upholding the values and principles of the Republic in the search for peace. We remain your partners in the fight against terrorism and the search for a peaceful future for all Afghanistan’s citizens,” the statement said.
