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Afghan peace deal hinges on Taliban

China Daily | Updated: 2019-04-30 10:00

US envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad speaks during a debate at Tolo TV channel in Kabul, Afghanistan, April 28, 2019. [Photo/IC]

KABUL - Any peace agreement with the Afghan Taliban depends on the declaration of a permanent cease-fire and a commitment to end the country's long war, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, said on Sunday.

In an interview with Afghanistan's largest private television station, Tolo News, Khalilzad said the Taliban's demands were focused on the withdrawal of US forces from the country.

"Our focus is on terrorism. No agreement will be done if we don't see a permanent cease-fire and a commitment to end the war," said Khalilzad. "We are seeking peace and (a) political settlement. ... We want peace to give us the possibility to withdraw."

The Afghan-born US diplomat arrived in Kabul on Saturday to meet President Ashraf Ghani, part of a multicountry tour ahead of his next meeting with the Taliban in Qatar.

The United States has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a NATO-led mission, known as Resolute Support, that is training and assisting the Afghan government's security forces in their battle against Taliban fighters and extremist groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida.

US President Donald Trump wants to reach an agreement to end his country's longest-ever war, which dislodged the Taliban from power in Afghanistan following the Sept 11, 2001 attacks on the US.

Intense fighting is still going on all over the country, and while the Taliban are negotiating, they now control and influence more territory than at any point since 2001.

A plan to cut the number of staff at the US embassy in Kabul by up to half, starting late next month has alarmed some who fear such a move could undermine the fragile peace process.

Before Khalilzad embarked on his tour, the US State Department said he will "press forward on negotiations with the Taliban to reach a consensus on core national security issues, and urge their participation in an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue".

But the Taliban still refuse to negotiate with Ghani's government.

Khalilzad told Tolo news that he had tried in recent weeks to foster such a dialogue, adding there had been some progress "but not as much as I wanted".

Hopes for a breakthrough were dashed earlier this month when planned talks in the Qatari capital Doha between the Taliban and 250 Afghan government representatives collapsed.

Hoping to renew the push for direct talks with the Taliban, Ghani has convened a grand consultative assembly on Monday.

Reuters

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