U.S. Envoy Briefs NATO Allies on Afghan Peace Efforts

U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has met with NATO Secretary General as part of his multi-national trip for facilitating the Afghan peace process, a spokesman of the alliance said.

 NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a tweet that Khalilzad met Jens Stoltenberg  as part of regular consultations on Afghan peace efforts.

She said that the U.S. envoy “briefed NATO Allies and Resolute Support partners on the ongoing efforts for peace in Afghanistan”.

Earlier, U.S. State Department in a statement said that Khalilzad in his latest multi-national trip will visit the United Kingdom, Belgium, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Jordan and Qatar from March 25 to April 10, as part of the overall efforts to facilitate a peace process that brings all Afghan parties together in inclusive intra-Afghan negotiations.

According to the statement, in Kabul, Khalilzad will consult with the Afghan government and politicians regarding the status of the U.S. talks with the Taliban and encourage efforts to form an “inclusive” negotiating team, as well as discuss next steps in intra-Afghan dialogue.

It comes as, in the latest round of talks, the U.S. and the Taliban have made progress but no final agreement regarding the foreign forces withdrawal and counterterrorism assurances.