Ayaz Gul
VOA News
July 27, 2018
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN — The Taliban has confirmed that it held direct talks with the United States in Qatar this week on finding a negotiated end to the 17-year war in Afghanistan.
A senior Taliban official told VOA on Friday that Alice Wells, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for South and Central Asia, led the American delegation in the meeting in Doha.
The insurgent official, speaking on condition of anonymity, explained the “preliminary” dialogue focused merely on “laying the groundwork for future contacts and meetings” between the Taliban and the U.S.
“The overall atmosphere of the meeting was very good and the discussions were also productive,” said the Taliban official,but he shared no further details.
Reports of Monday’s landmark meeting in the Qatari capital appeared in American newspapers earlier this week but neither U.S. officials nor the Taliban directly commented on them until now.
The U.S. State Department declined to comment on the reported meeting with the Afghan insurgency.
No comment from U.S.
“The United States is exploring all avenues to advance a peace process in close consultation with the Afghan government,” said a State Department official when asked for a reaction to reports of talks with the Taliban.
The official made it clear that the Afghan government was fully involved in the effort to jump-start peace talks. “Any negotiations over the political future of Afghanistan will be between the Taliban and Afghan government,” said the State Department official.
The Afghan Taliban has been informally operating a political office in Doha for several years.
The Islamist insurgency had long called for direct talks with Washington. The Taliban insists the U.S., and not the Afghan government, has the authority to determine a timetable for all American and NATO troops to withdraw from Afghanistan.
First significant step
This week’s Qatar talks marked the first significant step toward starting an Afghan peace and reconciliation process since a single round of talks was held between Afghan and Taliban officials in Pakistan in 2015, with U.S. and China also in attendance as observers.
U.S. officials are reported as saying Monday’s engagement with the Taliban was aimed at building on momentum generated by last month’s unprecedented temporary cease-fires the Afghan government and the Islamist insurgency observed during three-day Eid festivities last month.
The meeting in Doha came as the Afghan government is considering another unilateral ceasefire with the insurgents during the upcoming Eid festival in August to encourage the Taliban to come to the table for peace talks.
Related
*The “savage invaders”
have totally lost,
all
aggressive options- all doors are absolutely shut tight
on
their face
in
Afghanistan- they
have no choice but to suurrender
to
the integrity
of
the honorable
people.
They
have no choice but to suurrender
to
the integrity
of
the honorable
*people.
“PEACE” IS GOD’S
GIFT
TO
EVERY ONE !
*
*THE ORIGINAL
ISLAMIC EMPIRE
OF
AFGHANISTAN
WAS
FOUNDED (999-930 AD)
*BY
*SULTAN MAHMOOD
GHAZNAWI
================================*TTHE MODERN ISLAMIC
EMPIRE
OF
AFGHANISTAN
WAS
ESTABLISHED (1747-1772 AD)
*BY
*AHMAD SHAH ((BAH-BAH))
DURRANI
“PEACE”
((in Afghanistan))
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
AN INTERNATIONAL
PEACE CONFERENCE :
============================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*****
AN URGENT
NEED FOR AN
INTERNATIONAL
“PEACE CONFERENCE”
ON
AFGHANISTAN:
>
>
>
>
>
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
.
WE ASK ALL
THE INVADERS
AND WARMONGERS TO:
IMMEDIATELY LEAVE
AFGHANISTAN
AND
LET
THE REGULAR FOLKS
BUILD UP THEIR OWN COUNTRY
AND
SHATTERED LIVES.
.
.
.
..
.
*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•
THE “KEY
ATTENDEES”,
MUST INCLUDE REPRESENTATIONS FROM THE FOLLOWING HISTORICALLY AND REGIONALLY CRITICAL COUNTRIES AND INTERNATIONAL BODIES.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
*******************************
.
.
.
1- All the resistance forces in Afghanistan
2- NATO ALLIANCE
3- All neighboring countries of Afghanistan.
4- Turkey, India and Saudi Arabia.
5- Also, active participation and observation of United Nations and Vatican would definitely enhance the prospects for a mutually respectful, impartial and binding resolution.
(((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**********************************
We must urge a cessation to all hostilities and an end to this savagely-conducted “INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT” in Afghanistan.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////———————————–
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.
.
.
.
DEAR * BROTHERS AND SISTERS !
* WE MUST STOP THIS SAVAGELY-IMPOSED STATES OF WARFARES
AND
CONTINUATION OF
GROSS
HUMAN RIGHT
VIOLATIONS.
**
*
WE ARE 100% SURE THAT
A RESPECTFUL AND PEACEFUL
ENVIRONMENT,
FOR ALL PEOPLE OF
AFGHANISTAN,
IS POSSIBLE.
*****
*****
.
.
.
.((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
.
* PLEASE:
GIVE US YOUR
“HONORABLE”
SUPPORT FOR
THE SAKE
OF
* “PEACE”.
((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
(((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
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