Trump says he will sign Taliban peace deal

US president says temporary truce in Afghanistan holding up

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would sign a peace deal with the Taliban if one were eventually reached in Afghanistan, but insisted that his decision contingent on the progress during the week of reduced violence, which began on Saturday.

Trump’s comments came after a partial truce took effect in Afghanistan on Saturday, which is intended to set conditions for Washington and the Taliban to sign a deal in Doha on February 29 that could ultimately lead to a withdrawal of US forces after more than 18 years.

“Yes,” he told reporters at the White House as he prepared to depart on a trip to India. “I would put my name on it,” he added. Trump was not specific about what document he would be willing to sign but said decisions were contingent on progress during the initial truce.

He said the cooling off period has been holding up. “It’s a day and a half. We’ll see what happens. I want to see how this period of a week works out,” he said.

Trump to urge Indo-Pak talks, peace along LoC

“If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it. Time to come home. And they want to stop,” he said. “I think the Taliban want to make a deal too. They’re tired of fighting.”

Trump, and his wife Melania will arrive in New Delhi early on Monday (today) for a two-day visit that aims to boost strategic partnership between the two nations. In his maiden trip as the US president, he will also visit Ahmedabad and Agra.

Trump will travel to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat to attend an event at a stadium along the lines of the “Howdy Modi” extravaganza held in Houston last September during which the two leaders made a joint appearance.

Briefing the media about the trip, a senior US administration official said the president would encourage a reduction in tensions and urge bilateral dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi. He will also urged India to maintain peace along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir.

“I think what you’ll hear from the president is very much encouraging a reduction in tensions between India and Pakistan, encouraging the two countries to engage in bilateral dialogue with each other to resolve their differences,” the official said.

“I think the President will urge both countries to seek to maintain peace and stability along the line of control and refrain from actions or statements that could increase tensions in the region,” the official added.

Trump will talk about the two countries’ shared traditions of democracy and religious freedom. “He will raise these issues, particularly the religious freedom issue, which is extremely important to this administration,” the official said.