Second Quadrilateral Peace Talks Open In Kabul Today
KABUL: (MEP) Representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States are in near steps of inaugurating the second round of four-nation talks in capital, Kabul on Monday aimed at laying the ground for a negotiated end to almost 15 years of war between the government forces and Taliban insurgents.
The meeting comes as senior officials from four nations concluded the talks on emphasizing the importance of ending war in Afghanistan, the need for direct talks with representatives of the Afghan Taliban in Afghanistan’s peace and assessment opportunities right a week after discussions in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, said Shekib Mostaghni, spokesman for the foreign ministry.
Representatives from the four countries will revive a peace process that collapsed last summer.
The participants are also expected to discuss a road-map and its achievement for the reconciliation process involving the Afghan government and Taliban.
Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani was due to open the meeting, taking place at the Presidential Palace in the center of the capital.
Meanwhile, Javed Faisal, deputy spokesman for the Chief Executive Office, said: “We are waiting for the outcome of the meeting. A positive result will send a good message to the Afghan people.”
The ultimate goal of the diplomatic maneuvering is to get representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban into direct negotiations on the country’s future. The Taliban have yet to agree to take part in the negotiations.
However, the Taliban have not been invited to this meeting, nor did representatives attend a previous meeting in Islamabad.
Last week, Hekmat Karzai, chief negotiator Deputy Foreign Minister said the second round of the talks would generally focus on forming a peace plan to convince the Taliban to give up violence. He said, “The Taliban are making gains and the army is on the defensive. Until there is a stalemate, the talks are unlikely to succeed.”
