President Donald Trump is all set to prod India into supporting the peace process in Afghanistan, an administration official says.
Trump arrives in India on Monday for a two-day visit for talks with host leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a variety of subjects.
Ahead of the presidential visit, an unnamed US official was quoted as saying: “We would just encourage India, as we are all regional countries, to do whatever it can to support this peace process…”
If a potential Taliban-US peace agreement is signed later this month and implemented, the official said American forces could be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
With regard to the US-Taliban understanding on reducing violence across Afghanistan for a week, the official said: “We see this as a major step forward.
Even after an end to its 19-year military engagement, the US would continue diplomatic and economic engagement with Afghanistan.
“We certainly would look to India to support this peace process – an important country in the region, important to the overall stability of the region. So I think if the issue comes up, that is what would be the request from the president,” he said.
