EU, UN, Qatar accelerate efforts to advance Afghan talks

KABUL (Pajhwok): The international community has accelerated efforts at finding a political solution to the Afghan conflict by frequently meeting government and Taliban negotiators in Qatar following a surge in violence in Afghanistan.

A statement from the Afghan government’s negotiating team received by Pajhwok said that the European Union’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson met with the government’s chief negotiator, Massom Stanikzai and a number of other members of the team on Monday in Qatar.

The statement said that the two sides discussed acceleration of peace talks and prioritizing important issues to be discussed in negotiations.

Niklasson reaffirmed EU’s full support for the Afghan peace process and welcomed the government’s efforts on the regard.

Stanikzai said that the government was fully ready for peace negotiations with the Taliban.

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Afghanistan, Deborah Lyons also met with the government’s negotiating team in Qatar.

A statement from UNAMA said that they also discussed acceleration of peace efforts for tangible results in negotiations.

According to another report, Stanikzai and a number of members of the government’s negotiate team met with Qatar foreign ministry’s counterterrorism and dispute resolution representative as well as Qatar’s special envoy for Afghan peace, Mutlaq Al Qahtani.

The meeting discussed the peace process and emphasized on advancement in the third phase of negotiations between the Taliban and Afghan government.

The EU and UN representatives for Afghanistan also met with Taliban in Doha.

These meetings come as the US special envoy for Afghan peace, ZalmaiKhalilzad is in Kabul since last three days during which he met several Afghan officials and politicians on peace negotiations.

mds