<p><a href="/en/afganistan/kabul" class="glossify-link">KABUL</a> High Council for National Reconciliation spokesman Faridon Khwazon on Friday said the Afghans were getting closer to peace and hoped negotiators would reach an agreement on ceasefire in initial talks.</p>
<p>Talking to reporters at the Hamid Karzai international airport in Kabul ahead of his departure for Qatar, Khwazon said the intra-Afghan talks would open in Doha on Saturday.</p>
<p>Led by Abdullah Abdullah, the 21-membere Afghan negotiating team left for Doha from the Kabul airport today.</p>
<p>He said there was optimism that the two sides would agree on lasting truce because it was the prime demand of people.</p>
<p>He said after the opening ceremony, formal direct talks between the government delegation and the <a href="/en/taliban" class="glossify-link">Taliban</a> start on Sunday.</p>
<p>He said the agenda of the talks had been discussed and its details would unfold later.</p>
<p>When asked about span of the parleys, he said the people of Afghanistan were desperate for peace and the talks must be successful.</p>
<p>ma</p>
