Kabul, July 9: Afghan chief executive officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah has on Monday welcomed the intra-Afghan summit in Qatar’s capital, Doha, and hoped it would pave ways for direct dialogues between the Taliban, insurgent group, and the Afghanistan government in an effort to put an end to 18-year-long war and crisis in the nation.
While addressing the council of ministers meeting, Abdullah was quoted by TOLO news agency as saying, “It is expected that the meeting will lead to direct talks between the two sides including the government of Afghanistan and it will lead to peace.”
According to ANI news reports, More than 50 delegates from the government of Kabul and some 17 representatives from the Taliban have on Monday relaunch their stalled talks on the sidelines of the second-day intra-Afghan summit in Doha, Qatar.
The event, which was jointly organized by Germany and Qatar, was seen as a breakthrough that could make way to peace and political settlement in the region entrapped in a war for the last straight 18 years.
The Taliban, who reiterated its refusal to hold direct talks with the Afghan government under one table, has agreed to participate in the summit on a condition the attendees will only do things under personal capacity.
During the first day of the summit, both the sides deliberated over issues such as press freedom, protection of civilians, ceasefire, women’s rights, and withdrawal of foreign armed forces from Afghanistan, according to few delegates who interviewed with TOLO news agency.
Moreover, both the sides have hailed the first day of the summit, but they were also overshadowed by a terror attack claimed by the Taliban in Afghanistan’s province of Ghazni that claimed the lives of around eight people with other 50 injured.