Afghan govt, Taliban in historic deal on peace talks
Afghan government and Taliban representatives reached a preliminary deal on Wednesday to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war.
The agreement lays out the way forward for discussion but is considered a breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire, even as Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces have continued unabated.
“The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalized and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda,” said Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government’s negotiating team.
The Taliban spokesman confirmed the agreement on Twitter.
“A joint working committee was tasked to prepare the draft topics for the agenda (of peace talks),” a joint statement from both sides said.
The agreement comes after months of talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, despite the ongoing violence.
A ceasefire remains the most urgent demand of international capitals and Kabul, even after the Taliban refused one during the preliminary stages of talks.
“(The agreement) is a step forward towards beginning the negotiations on the main issues, including a comprehensive ceasefire as the key demand of the Afghan people,” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter, quoting the Afghan leader.
The Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 by US-led forces for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden, architect of the 9/11 attacks on the United States. A US-backed government has held power since, although the Taliban control wide areas of the country.
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