Khalilzad to Visit Afghanistan, Regional Countries to Support Afghan Peace Process

The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan peace process, Zalmay Khalilzad will visit Afghanistan, Pakistan, UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in support of the Afghan peace process.

The U.S. Department of State in a statement said “Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad will lead an interagency delegation to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from October 4-14.”

The statement further added that Special Representative Khalilzad’s mission is to coordinate and lead U.S. efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.

“He will do so in close coordination with the Afghan government and other stakeholders, exploring how best to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign minister has stressed on creation of trust among the regional countries.

Speaking at a Washington think tank on Wednesday, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, “We support peace in Afghanistan. We hope the region to be stable with the bringing of peace to this country. As long as there is no trust between countries, the situation will not be better.”

In the meantime, Kabul urges Washington to increase pressures on Pakistan and persuade it to cooperate in the Afghan peace process.

This comes as Kabul and Washington have recently intensified efforts to start official peace talks with the Taliban representatives.