US envoy for Afghan peace meets Taliban officials in Qatar

Khalilzad was on an 11-day trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia

KARACHI:  

A US negotiating team met Taliban officials at the group's Doha political office on Saturday in a renewed push by the Trump administration for a political solution to the deadly conflict in Afghanistan.

According to a Taliban spokesperson, the team, led by US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmai Khalilzad, met with Taliban officials, including chairman of the Taliban political office Abdul Haq Stanikzai, deputy chairman Maulvi Abdul Salam Hanifi, Sheikh Shahabuddin Daleora, Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, Alhaaj Mohammad Zahid Ahmadzai and Muhammad Saheel Shahin.



The ongoing conflict in the war-torn country was discussed by the two sides and the huddle focused on political solutions to the 17-year-long conflict, said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in the Pashto-language statement sent to The Express Tribune

The Taliban officials told the US delegation that the presence of foreign forces was the biggest hurdle in bringing peace to Afghanistan.

The also said that Afghanistan is an Islamic country and it has its own Islamic culture and value which has to be safeguarded for a real solution to the Afghan imbroglio.

According to Mujahid, the two sides agreed to meet again for another round of talks.

 

 

The State Department, however, declined to say whether the meeting with Taliban officials in Doha took place. "We can't confirm specific meetings or the content of diplomatic conversations," said a State Department spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Special Representative Khalilzad held a number of meetings with a wide range of stakeholders as part of his trip to explore how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan," the spokesperson added.



Alice Wells, the State Department deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, met Taliban officials in Doha in July for what was described as talks about talks. A Taliban official who was part of the four-person delegation to that meeting said it produced "very positive signals."

A US-led coalition forced the Taliban from power in 2001 in the aftermath of the September 11 al Qaeda attacks on Washington and New York. Taliban officials want the withdrawal of American forces and a government in Kabul that reflects the group's view of Islam