مضمون کا ماخذ : quina acumulada
US envoy to seek Taliban’s response on call for violence reduction: report
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is likely to meet the Taliban negotiators in Qatar in a few days to
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad is likely to meet the Taliban negotiators in Qatar in a few days to know about the Taliban’s response to his calls for reduction in violence, a Kabul-based American diplomat was quoted as saying on Thursday.
Khalilzad paused the negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar last month after the Taliban attacked the Bagram airfield north of Kabul that killed at least two people and injured nearly 70 others.
The US has been pressing the Taliban for reduction in violence and reports said Khalilzad has suggested a brief ceasefire before the signing of the peace agreement.
Both sides had finalized draft of the agreement in August at the conclusion of ninth round of talks. However, US President Donald Trump called off the talks in early September after Taliban killed an American soldier and 11 other people in Kabul.
Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheeen stated earlier that the Taliban representatives had suggested a break in the talks for consultations with the leaders.
Taliban sources told Daily Times that the Taliban leadership have wrapped up discussions on the US proposal and recommendations were sent to their chief for a final decision. They said majority of the leadership council had favoured the proposal to reduce violence that will pave the way for signing of the peace agreement.
VOA Pashto service quoted an unnamed American diplomat in Kabul as saying the US may not resume formal negotiations unless the Taliban agreed to reduce violence.
“If the Taliban want to resume the talks with the US they should agree to the proposal to reduce violence,” the diplomat was quoted as saying.
He said Taliban have concluded consultations with the senior leadership and Khalilzad will seek answer to his demand.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said this week that the United States had asked for a reduction in the scale and intensity of violence and discussions were held by the Taliban solely around this specific issue.
However, he had dismissed as “false and baseless” reports about a ceasefire by the Taliban and said the Taliban have no intention of declaring a ceasefire.
American negotiators are pushing for the ceasefire as another confidence building measure after the much-publicized prisoner swap deal in November.
As the US calls for reduction in violence Taliban have stepped up attacks on the Afghan forces and several deadly attacks were carried out in recent days in north of Afghanistan.
Taliban fighters killed dozens of security personnel in northern provinces of Takhar, Kunduz, Balkh and Jauzjan, Afghan officials said on Wednesday. Taliban also took control of Darzab district in Jauzjan.
Meanwhile Pakistan on Thursday called for “early and successful conclusion” of the US-Taliban talks to end the conflict in Afghanistan.
Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said Pakistan has played a positive role towards resumption of the peace process in Afghanistan.
“It has been our desire to seek an early and successful conclusion of the peace process and US-Taliban talks, which will lead to intra Afghan dialogue. We continue to support and facilitate the process,” Farooqui said at weekly briefing in Islamabad.
She said Pakistan’s positive role and contribution in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan has been widely appreciated and acknowledged.
