US negotiators have demanded the Taliban to agree to a 10-day ceasefire, warning the peace process could be stopped again if the group does not comply, Arab News reported.
The warning came as top US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad resumed talks with the Taliban last week in Qatar, after a three-month suspension by President Donald Trump who cited a deadly attack in announcing the decision.
Khalilzad has taken a “brief pause” from the talks after the group launched a suicide attack on a US base outside Kabul killing two civilians.
An unidentified Taliban official was quoted as saying by Arab News that American officials have asked for a 10-day ceasefire and “threatened to call off talks.”
“The US side has floated the idea to sign a peace agreement during the cease-fire,” the official said.
“They (Taliban negotiators in Qatar) have now prepared recommendations for the leadership, which will take a final decision. The leaders will decide whether or not to accept the cease-fire proposal,” he said, adding that “Americans want ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the proposal and they say there will be no talks unless the ceasefire is declared.”
