Hopes of political settlement rise as Doha teams ‘make progress’

The Afghan Republic and the Taliban negotiating teams have reportedly made a breakthrough in talks in Doha, a member of the government’s peace team said Saturday.

According to Fatima Gailani, a member of the Afghan Republic’s team, a breakthrough was made by the contact teams of the two parties to the talks.

She said the Afghan Republic’s team hopes to reach a political agreement before the start of the Istanbul summit, scheduled for early next month.

“The contacts teams of both sides hold meetings till late every night and they have reached an important success that will be announced soon. We wish to reach a political agreement before the start of the summit in Turkey,” Gailani said.

A number of Afghan politicians are meanwhile optimistic about the planned Istanbul summit on the Afghan peace process.

Zalmai Rassoul, Afghan Ambassador to the UK, stated: “An imposed peace would not be sustainable and such peace could be risky. Pressure should be put on the Taliban so that they reduce violence and agree on a ceasefire.”
Meanwhile, the UN says that it is ready to host and manage the Istanbul summit as a mediator between the two sides.

“We’re continuing our consultations with various parties on what the participation of the UN would look like in the next steps. I think we are ready to go to our guests,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General said.

This comes after Russia hosted a summit between the Afghan government and the Taliban delegations and other key stakeholders in Moscow, on Thursday, aimed at accelerating the process.