Kabul-Taliban negotiations : Pakistan confident peace talks will resume

PM’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi discusses the peace process with UN envoy.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is confident that the face-to-face talks between Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives will resume soon, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said on Wednesday. He was speaking to Tadamichi Yamamoto, the deputy special representative of the UN secretary general for Afghanistan.

Fatemi and Yamamoto discussed the situation in Afghanistan and regional and international efforts to bring peace to the war-torn country, according to a statement released by the Foreign Office.



Fatemi told Yamamoto that ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan were moving along a ‘positive trajectory’. Calling the first round of face-to-face talks between Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives an important milestone, he expressed confidence that the negotiations, which were postponed following the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death, would resume soon.

Fatemi reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. He lauded the role played by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reiterated Pakistan’s continued support for it.

Yamamoto appreciated Pakistan’s strong support for UNAMA’s mandate, as well as its role towards international efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan. He also highlighted UNAMA’s role towards coordinating international civilian efforts for ensuring peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2015.