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Efforts underway to determine ‘time & place’ for Intra-Afghan talks
The Afghan Presidential Palace says that the time and place for holding the Intra-Afghan talks will be determined soon.
According to the presidential spokesman, the main focus of the talks between the President and the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Council with the US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Special Envoy of Qatar to Afghanistan was to determine the time and place for the talks.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special representative for peace in Afghanistan, following his meeting with the Taliban in Doha and Pakistani officials in Islamabad, met President Ghani, Abdullah Abdullah, Hamed Karzai, and some other political figures and discussed steps before the start of the Intra-Afghan talks.
“It’s too early to tell when and where the talks will take place. I am looking forward to sharing the information with you in the coming days,” said presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.
This comes as President Ghani in his recent statements in the Atlantic Council said that the time and place of the Intra-Afghan talks will be determined next week.
“If they decide to hold talks in Doha, we are ready to speed it up,” said Motaliq bin Majid al-Qahtani, Qatar’s special envoy to Afghanistan, after his meeting with the president and chairman of the National Reconciliation Council. “We will do so neutrally and transparently, in accordance with the international law.”
The Intra-Afghan talks are expected to take place in mid-June.
Russia’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that representatives of Russia, the United States, and Afghanistan would discuss how to hold the Intra-Afghan talks at a tripartite meeting next Monday.
“By releasing the prisoners, we are trying to maintain a significant reduction in violence or an undeclared ceasefire so that we can move forward with important steps in the peace process,” said Afghan presidential spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.
Earlier, during a visit to Kabul, the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff assured of his country’s cooperation in the peace process; the Afghan government sees the process of the talks as constructive, but it expects Pakistan to take practical steps in the matter.
On the other hand, General Kenneth F. McKenzie, commander of the US Central Command, emphasizes that full withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan by spring next year depends on conditions that he believes have not been met yet.
According to him, there is no assurance that the attacks against the US will end.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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