US, Afghanistan renew call for political settlement

KABUL (Pajhwok): The US special representative and top Afghan leaders have underlined the need for speeding up the troubled peace process and fresh developments on the reconciliation front.

Soon after his arrival in Kabul late on Monday, Zalmay Khalilzad called on President Ashraf Ghani and High Council for National Reconciliation Chairman Abdullah Abdullah.

A statement from the Presidential Palace said Khalilzad and Ghani conferred on the US diplomat’s latest swing through the region and the next steps in the peace process.

“We discussed the peace process, new initiatives, latest political developments and steps forward,” Abdullah tweeted after talks with the visiting US envoy.

The HCNR chairman wrote: “We reiterated our call for a political settlement and acceleration of the peace efforts.”

Before departure for Kabul, his second trip in two weeks, Khalilzad met the leader of the Taliban negotiating team in the presence of Qatar’s deputy prime minister  in Doha

During his previous visit to Kabul, Khalilzad had shared a proposed draft for peace with Afghanistan’s top political leaders, including the creation of an interim government.

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