Will await govt decision if Doha talks further delayed: Talib

KABUL (Pajhwok): The government-backed delegation on Sunday hoped talks with the Taliban would resume soon, but if further delayed, they would wait for the government and the High Reconciliation Council to decide.

Intra-Afghan peace talks began about three months ago in Doha and the two sides have so far they agreed on procedural rules in the first round.

The second round of talks has so far yielded no result and no meeting between the two sides has taken place for several days and Taliban delegations meanwhile traveled to Iran and Russia.

Dr. RassoulTalib, a member of the Press Committee of the Peace Delegation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, in an online conference from Doha said that the Taliban left the negotiating table to confuse the public.

He said the government of Afghanistan and its delegation wanted to resolve the country’s problems through dialogue and negotiations and that was why they were in Doha.

He added talks with the Taliban had not stalemated, but had been delayed and called on the Taliban to resume talks as soon as possible.

According to him, if the Taliban wanted to talk about any issue, they should come to the negotiating table and put forward their discussions so that an understanding could be reached with them.

SharifaZurmati, a member of the committee, said ceasefire had been a priority for the government in the first round of talks and the Taliban told them they would set their priorities in consultation with their leaders.

She said “we told the Taliban if any issue is important to you and we don’t have a problem, we will accept it and we will talk about it at the negotiating table, but after that day the negotiations stopped and they waited for their leaders.”

She expressed hope that the Taliban would return from their trips and resume talks, but said if the Taliban’s travels were extended, they would wait for a decision from the government and the High Reconciliation Council in Doha.

bk/ma

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