US envoy says 'real strides' made in Afghan Taliban talks

There is 'no final agreement until everything is agreed', says Zalmay Khalilzad

DOHA: US and Afghan Taliban negotiators wrapped up their latest round of marathon peace talks on Tuesday with "real strides" made but no agreement on a timetable for troop withdrawal, the US special envoy said.

"Just finished a marathon round of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. The conditions for #peace have improved. It's clear all sides want to end the war. Despite ups and downs, we kept things on track and made real strides," Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted.

(2/4) Peace requires agreement on four issues: counter-terrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan dialogue, and a comprehensive ceasefire. In January talks, we "agreed in principle" on these four elements. We're now "agreed in draft" on the first two.

— US4AfghanPeace (@US4AfghanPeace) March 12, 2019

(1/4) Just finished a marathon round of talks with the Taliban in #Doha. The conditions for #peace have improved. It’s clear all sides want to end the war. Despite ups and downs, we kept things on track and made real strides.

— US4AfghanPeace (@US4AfghanPeace) March 12, 2019

Khalilzad said the next step would be discussions in Washington, adding that "there is no final agreement until everything is agreed."

(4/4) My next step is discussions in Washington and consultations with other partners. We will meet again soon, and there is no final agreement until everything is agreed.

— US4AfghanPeace (@US4AfghanPeace) March 12, 2019

The talks focused on the withdrawal of US troops and assurances that insurgents would not use Afghanistani territory to stage future attacks.

"Progress was achieved regarding both these issues," said a Taliban spokesperson.

"For now, both sides will deliberate over the achieved progress, share it with their respective leaderships and prepare for the upcoming meeting."

It is unclear as yet when the next round of talks will take place.
The talks spanned 16 days, which is thought to be the longest consecutive discussions held between both sides.

There are some 14,000 US troops currently based in Afghanistan.