Taliban asks for extra time to present peace talks agenda 

The Taliban negotiating team has asked the members of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s team for a few days to submit their agenda.

Sources from the Republic’s negotiating team confirm that the request was made during a meeting between the leaders and some members of the delegations on Sunday night in Doha. 

But the Republic’s delegation has already handed over its agenda to the Taliban.

“Yesterday in the meeting, they talked about the issues of the agenda and its order and how it has progressed. Regarding the meeting today, no decision has been made yet,” said Najia Anwari, a spokesperson for the State Ministry for Peace Affairs.

Meanwhile NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that NATO’s position on Afghanistan has not changed and the presence of its troops will be conditions based in Afghanistan.

In addition, Mir Rahman Rahmani, speaker of the Wolesi Jirga, said on Monday: “The complexity of the talks, the delay in setting the agenda, the indifference of the Taliban delegation, the lack of internal political consensus, the dispersal of the High Council of National Reconciliation have made it difficult to reach an agreement.”

This all comes after the US announced last week it’s troop levels were down to 2,500. 

In line with this, US Vice President Mike Pence has said that if the terms of the Washington agreement with the Taliban are implemented, the rest of the US troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

“The day will come when the war in Afghanistan will finally end. Your mission in Afghanistan has been vital to the security of the American people,” Pence said. 

Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the high council for national reconciliation, also dealt with peace talks issues on Monday and met with former President Hamid Karzai where they discussed the second round of Doha talks, the latest developments in peace talks and the strengthening of national and international consensus in support of the peace process.