Pak help not needed for talks with Taliban, says US envoy

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West has said that Washington does not need Pakistan or any other country to facilitate communication with the Afghan Taliban.

In an interview with Voice of America Urdu, West rejected the need for any third party to negotiate with the Taliban government as he confirming a two-day meeting with the Taliban representatives in Doha recently.

“To be honest, I don’t think we need a third country to facilitate our engagement with the Taliban,” West said in response to a question if Pakistan could facilitate their talks with the ruling Afghan Talinan.

“I and my other colleagues in the US government are working on it,” he said. In response to another question, West also rejected the suggestion that the US needed Pakistan's airspace for operational access to Afghanistan.

The US special representative stressed the need for continued diplomacy with the Taliban government to ensure that they kept their commitments to fight terrorism and provide rights to all Afghans.

Referring to Pakistan, West said that not only Pakistan, but the entire Muslim world had an incredibly important and credible role in establishing a relationship with Afghans.

The US Special Representative said that during his three-day stay in Islamabad, he discussed “our common interests in Afghanistan with the authorities as an important partner state.

Confirming a two-day meeting with the Taliban representatives, West said that it was the first time that US officials had met with the Taliban delegation in Doha since the withdrawal in August last year.