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Abdullah addresses HCNR meeting, confirms talks to resume January 5
Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation on Saturday confirmed the second round of peace talks will resume on January 5.
He did not state where the talks would be held but did say “the venue for the talks should not be an obstacle.”
This comes after numerous calls have been made in the past few weeks by public figures, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, for the talks to move from Doha, Qatar, to Afghanistan.
Government officials have said the talks are between Afghans and should therefore be held on Afghan soil. However, no indication has yet been made as to whether the talks will continue in Doha or whether they will be moved to a new location.
In a series of tweets, Abdullah said on Saturday the talks team would report to the HCNR, and specifically to the Leadership Council.
“You will report to the HCNR, and to the Leadership Committee. We are here to listen to you, and support you at all levels. The LC meetings will take place on a regular basis,” he said.
“You are representing the Republic of Afghanistan, and it’s great people. You can enter into talks with Taliban, and discuss all the topics of the agenda. You have to demonstrate that peace is a priority for the republic,” Abdullah said.
“I thank all the leaders, members of LC and prominent personalities attending today’s LC’s meeting for demonstrating unity, and for their unanimous support for the peace process, and the republic’s negotiation team, and referring to the HCNR as the only body to represent the peace efforts,” he said.
Other prominent figures, including First Vice President Amrullah Saleh and former president Hamid Karzai also addressed the meeting.
Karzai said the talks team was doing a good job but that Afghans were in urgent need of peace.
Saleh in turn stated the Afghan war was extremely complicated and that external influence was much greater than internal interference.
He also warned against the further killing of elders, activists and journalists and said the peace process will be impacted by this if it carries on.
This is the second formal meeting of the HCNR this month.
On December 5, Ghani inaugurated the first meeting after having established the council a few months ago.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan announced on Tuesday the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle from prison.
According to the ministry, Coyle’s mother had written to the leader of the Islamic Emirate demanding amnesty and the release of her son on the occasion of Eid. The Supreme Court considered time served sufficient and decided to release him.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that this action was carried out on the basis of humanitarianism and good faith, and it believes that such measures can strengthen trust between countries. The ministry also expressed hope that both countries, in the future, can find solutions to remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.
The Islamic Emirate also expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the United Arab Emirates in this matter.
Separately, for Coyle’s release, an American delegation, including Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, met on Tuesday with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Emirate.
The meeting was also attended by Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, Ambassador of the UAE in Kabul, and a member of the prisoner’s family.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muttaqi stated that the Islamic Emirate has not detained any citizen of any country to achieve political objectives; rather, detentions were the result of legal violations, and individuals were released after completing judicial procedures.
At the meeting, Khalilzad praised the action of the Islamic Emirate and emphasized the importance of continuing discussions on all issues between the two countries, expressing hope for further progress in the future.
Muttaqi also stressed that Kabul and the UAE should provide standard consular services to their citizens, and that the Afghan government is fully prepared in this regard.
He thanked Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, for their constructive role in facilitating the release of the prisoner and referred to the UAE as a close friend of Afghanistan.
Earlier, Muttaqi had also praised the role of the State of Qatar in facilitating information exchange between the Islamic Emirate and the prisoner’s family.
Additionally, the UAE ambassador expressed his country’s readiness to play a role in humanitarian institutions and called such developments beneficial for everyone.
The United Kingdom has announced an additional £3 million (AFN 257 million) in humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan, aimed at supporting people affected by natural disasters and other shocks.
Richard Lindsay, in a post on X, said the funding will be used to provide essential nutrition supplies and related support to vulnerable populations.
The new allocation brings the UK’s total bilateral assistance to Afghanistan for the current financial year to £154 million (AFN 13.18 billion).
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