No talks held on interim govt: Rasul Talib

KABUL (Pajhwok): No discussions have been held with the Taliban negotiating team on the establishment of an interim administration in Afghanistan, a member of the government delegation said on Sunday.
Earlier, media reports said the two sides had discussed the idea of an interim government in Doha, the venue of Afghan peace talks.
Several government officials, including President Ashraf Ghani, strongly reacted to the reports. Kabul says the proposed administration will trigger chaos and bloodshed in the country.
Rasul Talib, a member of the Republic team, told a virtual news conference in Qatar that the Taliban had not sought talks on the topic.
He insisted no discussions had been held about an interim government. “This idea the Taliban are sharing with the media hasn’t been on the table,.
Abbas Stanikzai, Taliban’s chief negotiator, was not in Doha, Talib said, explaining he was currently in Moscow. He remarked that setting pre-conditions did not help te peace talks in any way.
He added the agenda that the Taliban had submitted to the government team did not include any demand for the release of more prisoners.
Talib also rejected claims of differences among members of the Republic team on any issue. By the same token, he spurned Taliban’s allegation that President Ghani was creating hurdles to peace.
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