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US-Taliban Talks Resume in Doha After Day Break
The sixth round of direct talks between the U.S. and Taliban representatives began on Wednesday, 1 May, in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
In October, U.S. and Taliban agreed in a draft on withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in return for a Taliban guarantee that Afghanistan will not be used by militants to threaten the U.S. and the world.
In this round, the U.S. delegation is expected to focus on an intra-Afghan dialogue and negotiations, and a reduction in violence.
In an audio message, Taliban’s Chief Negotiator, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai says the group has suggested several options to the Americans to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan but there are different views within the U.S. administration.
Meanwhile, the U.S. and Taliban officials faced off on a series of tweets on twitter.
The U.S. Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said in a tweet on Friday, May 3, that he has told Taliban representatives in Qatar that it is time for the group “to put down arms, stop the violence, and embrace peace”.
Reacting to Khalilzad’s tweet, a Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on tweeter that the U.S. envoy should “forget about the idea of putting down our arms”.
Khalilzad responded back on Saturday, saying “laying down arms is the outcome of any peace process” and the U.S. and Afghan government “stand ready”.
However, a former Taliban official Sayed Akbar Agha told Ariana News that the two sides are still negotiating on forces withdrawal. He added the Taliban wants U.S. forces to withdraw from Afghanistan within six months while the U.S. officials insist on one year timetable.
At the same time, Fridoon Khwazon, a spokesman for the Office of Afghanistan’s Chief Executive says the Afghan government hopes this round of talks pave the way for the beginning of direct talks between the government and the Taliban to end the ongoing war in the country.