Turkey conference on Afghanistan to be held after Eid

KABUL (Pajhwok): The UN-supported conference on Afghanistan in Turkey has been postponed following Taliban’s refusal to attend, international media outlet reported on Wednesday.

The Istanbul summit, which was slated to be held from April 24 to May 4, was proposed by the United States to speed up the Afghan peace process.

An Afghan government official confirmed to Reuters: “The Istanbul meeting is not happening on the given date because the Taliban refused to attend.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign minister to told Haberturk news channel: “We thought it would be beneficial to postpone it … we consulted Qatar, the US and the UN and decided to hold it after Ramadan and Eid festivities.”

Two other sources, including one official whose country is part of the planning process, verified the event’s postponement. However, they did not give a new date.

Without confirming the postponement, US State Department spokesman Ned Price promised diplomatic efforts would go on.

On Tuesday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said he could not say if the 10-day meeting had been set back.

“The United Nations, along with the co‑conveners, Qatar, Turkey, we’re continuing to engage with representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban on ways to add impetus to the intra‑Afghan negotiations.”

The UN official said: “Our focus will continue to be on progress in intra‑Afghan negotiations, which is a critical part of the way forward.”

Earlier in the month, the US secretary of state said he desired to see top Afghan government and Taliban officials in the conference.

PAN Monitor/mud

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