New Delhi, August 3: US special representative for Afghan reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has on Friday said the Taliban, the insurgent group, have expressed their willingness to ink a peace agreement with the United States aimed at putting an end to the 18-years-long civil war and crisis in Afghanistan.
In a tweet, Khalilzad wrote: “The Taliban are signalling they would like to conclude an agreement. We are ready for a good agreement.”
The Taliban are signaling they would like to conclude an agreement. We are ready for a good agreement. #AfghanPeaceProcess
— U.S. Special Representative Thomas West (@US4AfghanPeace) August 2, 2019
Khalilzad has paid an official visit to Doha, the capital city of Qatar, earlier on Friday to attend an important round of Afghan peace negotiations between the Taliban and the US to end the almost two-decades-long crisis in war-ravaged Afghan, according to ANI news reports.
The two sides came closer to reach a peace agreement following US President Donald Trump promise and announcement to withdraw American troops from the war-ravaged nation, in return for a ceasefire guarantee and no use of Afghan soil for terrorism, especially the regions under the control of the Taliban.
In another tweet, Khalilzad stated Washington views the peace pact as a “peace agreement” and the pull out of the US forces would be “conditions-based”.
He said, “Just got to #Doha to resume talks with the Taliban. We are pursuing a #peace agreement not a withdrawal agreement; a peace agreement that enables withdrawal. Our presence in #Afghanistan is conditions-based, and any withdrawal will be conditions-based.”
On July 9, a landmark Afghan peace negotiations between the influential Afghans and the Taliban, including the government officials, agreed to a “roadmap for peace” that could pave ways to put an end to the 18-year-long civil war and crisis in Afghanistan. A joint statement released calling for an end to casualties and the protection of rights of women within the “Islamic framework”.
The so-called “roadmap for peace” eventually based on conditions including regional powers’ “zero interference” and the return of displaced people. The joint statement further stressed Kabul was “suffering daily”.
The seventh round of peace talks between the insurgent group and the US negotiators is likely to be relaunch later on Tuesday. Both sides hoped to reach a deal that would oversee American troops’ withdrawal of Afghanistan in return for the Taliban’s commitment to not to use Afghan soil for terrorism purposes.
The Taliban has repeatedly refused to hold direct dialogues with the Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani-led government until Washington announces its final timetable for troops’ withdrawal from the region.
Also read:
- Zalmay Khalilzad to visit Afghanistan to finalize US-Taliban peace agreement
- Taliban, Afghan agree ‘roadmap for peace’ to end war at intra-Afghan summit
- US envoy Khalilzad meets Indian envoy Harsh Vardhan ahead of new Afghan peace mission