Source: AT
ozens of powerful Afghans resumed talks with the Taliban on Monday in Doha, where a possible ceasefire is on the table along with key issues such as women’s rights.Stakes are high for the talks which follow a week of US-Taliban negotiations with both sides eyeing a resolution to the bloody 18-year conflict.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the Afghan gathering “has been a long time coming” and praised the country’s “government, civil society, women, and Taliban” for coming together.
Washington has said it wants to seal a political deal with the Taliban ahead of Afghan presidential polls due in September to allow foreign forces to begin to withdraw.Around 70 delegates are attending the two-day gathering which has been organized by Germany and Qatar.Qatar’s counter-terrorism special envoy Mutlaq al-Qahtani told AFP “both sides are making progress.”He said, “By the end of tonight we can reach a kind of positive conclusion that is acceptable to both sides.“The differences is almost so narrow… we are quite frankly surprised how serious both sides are and they are so committed to putting an end to this conflict.”Germany envoy Markus Potzel said, “History will remember those who were able to set their differences aside for the sake of the country” as he opened the dialogue on Sunday.
Categories: Afghanistan, Asia