U.S. Envoy Meets President Ghani in Munich Amid Push for Peace

The U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, met with President Ashraf Ghani on Thursday at sidelines of Munich Security Conference.

The Presidential Palace in a statement said that both sides discussed recent developments on peace in the region and next steps in the peace process, including the consultative Loya Jirga aimed at reestablishing consensus among Afghans on the peace process.

According to the statement, Ambassador Khalilzad reiterated that the U.S. government is committed to playing a facilitative role in the peace process under the umbrella of the Afghan government.

Describing the meeting as “good”, Khalilzad in a tweet said that they are united in their pursuit of peace.

The meeting of Khalilzad with President Ghani in Munich comes as part of his fresh round of trips to region countries which will also include a visit to Pakistan, Qatar, and Afghanistan.

Khalilzad is expected to meet the Taliban representatives in Qatar on February 25 as part of his peace efforts to reach into a political settlement in Afghanistan before July elections.