Peace efforts; Ambassador Khalilzad meets President Ghani

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met with the US Special Representative for Peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, this afternoon.

Reportedly, in the meeting, they discussed some practical actions in the Afghan peace process.

The presidential palace said in a statement that the meeting focused on practical measures before the start of the Intra-Afghan negotiations, reduction in violence, and the commitment of the international community and neighboring countries to peace.

According to the statement, the president has emphasized that the basic demand of the Afghan people is peace and that the government has made it its priority.

It is noteworthy that Khalilzad has lately started his new round of efforts towards the starting of the intra-Afghan negotiations – he has just returned from his trip to Qatar and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Chief of Army Staff, after meeting with Zalmay Khalilzad, has also met with the president and chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation.

In a statement, the Pakistani army has said that Qamar Bajwa’s talks with the Afghan leaders were focused on the necessary steps forward to facilitate the Intra-Afghan talks.