Afghanistan | Peace talks between Kabul, Taliban end, plan to meet again

Pakistani Muslims wait to break their fast during Ramadan in Islamabad

One-day peace talks between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives ended with both sides agreeing to meet again after the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
The ministry said in a statement the talks were held Tuesday at Murree, a hilly resort near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. Representatives of China and the United States were also present during the meeting, it said.
Participants exchanged views on ways to bring peace and reconciliation to Afghanistan, where fighting has continued since the Taliban was removed from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001. Since taking office in September, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has made it a priority to find a peace settlement.
Both sides “expressed their collective desire to bring peace to Afghanistan and the region,” the ministry statement said. “Participants recognized the need to develop confidence-building measures to engender trust among all stakeholders.”
The next meeting would be held at a mutually convenient date after Ramadan ends later this month, it said.
In Kabul, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the peace talks and praised Pakistan for hosting and thanked Washington and China for taking part.
“We believe that if there is a good and strong intention in the peace process, there will be good results,” the statement said.
Tuesday’s talks came after repeated informal meetings between Taliban and government representatives, most recently hosted by Qatar and Norway. The talks were the first formally acknowledged by the Afghan government; that and the semi-public nature of the talks suggested possible progress after years of frustration in trying to bring the two sides together.
Previous efforts to start a dialogue stalled, however, largely due the lack of trust and confidence between the two sides.
Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, Tuesday night called the holding of the talks “a major breakthrough” in comments recorded for Pakistani TV from the Norwegian capital Oslo, where he is on a three-day visit.
He said the overtness of the meeting was a positive development. “I hope there will be a positive outcome which will certainly be very helpful for peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said. Munir Ahmed, Islamabad, AP