Truce to enable services delivery to war-hit areas: Rahimi

KABUL in this regard.

A statement from the Ministry of Peace Affairs said Rahimi chaired the second meeting of the Senior Consultation Committee for Peace Affairs.

The meeting was attended by representatives of member institutions of the Senior Consultation Committee for Peace Affairs, tasked with coordinating decision-making on various aspects of the peace process.

On the occasion, the State Minister for Peace said they needed to bring developments to the peace process amid coronavirus outbreak. “It is necessary to establish a humanitarian ceasefire and to stop war and violence.”

The minister said ceasefire would enable them to deliver services and aid to war-torn areas, stressing that the government must be prepared for the new atmosphere due to coronavirus and government institutions must increase their functionality.

Rahimi said the negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has begun its work and the Senior Coordination Committee for Peace Affairs was working to address the negotiating team’s information necessities.

Also at the meeting, Masoom Stanekzai, head of the negotiating team, said that efforts were underway on a package that included humanitarian aid, setting the stage for negotiations and implementing ceasefire.

He added that short-term, medium-term and long-term plans were being worked out to end the crisis in Afghanistan.

In the meeting, representatives of member institutions of the Senior Consultation Committee for Peace Affairs also discussed the release of Taliban prisoners, plans for post-peace development and its inclusion in Afghanistan’s National Strategic Development Plan, assistance programs for war-torn areas, and the development of a refugee repatriation plan.

pk/ma