The talks held between the United States and Taliban officials were aimed at operational peace process and negotiation in Afghanistan and were set for the second day on Tuesday, after a discussion rounds over the future of foreign forces and also a six-month ceasefire.
According to news reports, the three-day-meeting in Abu Dhabi was among the third time when the US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has met the representatives of Taliban as a diplomatic efforts to put an end to the 17-year-long war in Afghanistan.
Taliban delegations had a meeting on Monday, with the officials from the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, ahead of meeting with Khalilzad on Tuesday.
While speaking over the conditions of anonymity, Taliban officials said that the US officials were pressing for six-month ceasefire with an agreement to name the representatives of Taliban to the future caretaker government.
According to news reports, the officials said that the Taliban, who were fighting in order to drive the foreign forces from Afghan and to bring in their versions of strict Islamic laws, were resisting the ceasefire as they felt that it would be damaging their causes and help the US and Afghanistan forces.
The Taliban officials said, “If these three countries – Saudi Arabia, UAE and Pakistan – become guarantors and the U.S. appoints the head of a caretaker government in Afghanistan that we nominate, then we can think about a ceasefire.” No immediate comments were tracked from the US embassy in Kabul.
However, despite the US insisted over peace settlement was must to be agreed between Afghans, the Taliban declined to hold direct talks with Kabul government’s officials, which Taliban considered it as an illegitimate foreign-appointed regime.
In an official statement, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, “Talks revolved around withdrawal of occupation forces from Afghanistan, ending the oppression being carried out by the United States and her allies and views were exchanged with the said countries about peace and reconstruction of Afghanistan.”
In a statement, Afghanistan’s government spokesperson Haroon Chakansuri said that a team of Afghan government traveled to Abu Dhabi “to begin proximity dialogue with the Taliban delegation and to prepare for a face-to-face meeting between the two sides”.
But however, there were no signs from the government of Taliban that they would get ready to hold talks with the government. Mujahid dismissed the reports on Monday, of a meeting as “propaganda”.