Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

US and Taliban plan 7th round of Afghan peace talks in Qatar

US Special Representative for Afghanistan wants faster progress

On Sunday US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalizad tweeted: We’ll start the next round of talks on Jun 29. Based on my recent visits to #Afghanistan and #Qatar, I believe all sides want rapid progress. #AfghanPeaceProcess

In May the US and the Taliban had finished a sixth round in Qatar with “some progress” on a draft agreement. The draft included the withdrawal of US forces plus a nationwide ceasefire and intra-Afghan talks. However, fighting has continued. Khalizad said the talks should result in an agreement faster as many innocent people were being killed in the conflict.

Taliban demand any agreement contain a timetable for foreign troop withdrawal

Ever since the Taliban government was overthrown in a US-led military operation in the fall of 2001 the Taliban have made withdrawal of all foreign troops a condition for any agreement. There are still about 17,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan including 14,000 US soldiers. They are part of a NATO mission whose mission is to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. However the US also carries out anti-terrorism operations.

The US demands

The US insists that it will only agree to a withdrawal when the Taliban commit to preventing terror groups from using Afghan territory. The US also demands a ceasefire and dialogue with other parties. The Taliban has so far refused to consider the Afghan government of president Ashraf Ghani as part of the dialogue since they regard the Afghan government as a puppet of the US and its allies.

The Taliban gaining territory

Fighting continues while the peace talks go on. The Taliban control or influence more Afghan territory now than any time since 2001 when the US-led military overthrew their government.

The upcoming peace talks

The talks will focus on a timeline for the withdrawal of US and other foreign troops from Afghanistan. However, the US insists that the Taliban promise that no militants would be allowed to launch attacks from Afghanistan. The seventh round of talks will begin next Saturday in Doha Qatar. Negotiations started back last October.

Sohail Shaheen a Taliban spokesperson said:”Once the timetable for foreign force withdrawal is announced, then talks will automatically enter the next stage. We don’t need to wait for the completion of the withdrawal, both withdrawal and talks can move forward simultaneously.”

Written By

You may also like:

World

Calling for urgent action is the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

World

Immigration is a symptom of a much deeper worldwide problem.

Business

Saudi Aramco President & CEO Amin Nasser speaks during the CERAWeek oil summit in Houston, Texas - Copyright AFP Mark FelixPointing to the still...

Business

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal infers that some workers might be falling out of the job market altogether.