Karzai wants Russia, Iran, India included in peace push

KABUL (Pajhwok): Former president Hamid Karzai has suggested that Russia, Iran and India should also be included in the ongoing international push to revive the stalled Afghan peace process.

In an interview with the Fars News Agency of Iran, Karzai said if instability in Afghanistan factors.

He said Iran, Russia and India were important regional states and neighbours and they should be part of the ongoing push involving Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the US to end the war in Afghanistan.

His interview comes as representatives from Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and China met in Islamabad for a third meeting on Saturday.

In a joint statement at the end of the meeting, the group said a roadmap for peace talks with Taliban insurgents had been agreed upon.

The meeting in Islamabad concluded with a call for direct negotiations between the Kabul administration and the Taliban by the end of February.

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