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Taliban only to hold talks with US
Monitoring Report
November 11,2018
Russia, which said it had invited representatives from the US as well as India, Iran, China and Pakistan, hailed the meeting as an opportunity to open a new page in the Afghan history and seek an end to the war 17 years after the US-led invasion, reports Geo.
MOSCOW: The Taliban on Saturday refused to hold talks with the Afghan government as they are willing to negotiate with the United States.
Afghan rivals failed to reach a breakthrough on holding direct peace talks after international talks here on Friday — the latest international push to end the conflict.
Russia, which said it had invited representatives from the US as well as India, Iran, China and Pakistan, hailed the meeting as an opportunity to "open a new page" in the Afghan history and seek an end to the war 17 years after the US-led invasion, reports Geo.
The talks came with the Taliban ratcheting up pressure on the Afghan police and troops this year even as they showed a tentative willingness to hold talks with the United States.
The Moscow meetings ended without any side agreeing on a path to direct dialogue, delegations from the Taliban and Kabul´s High Peace Council said.
"This conference was not about direct talks," Taliban spokesman Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told journalists in translated comments quoted by Interfax news agency.
The Taliban "do not recognise the current government as legal and therefore we won´t hold talks with them," he added.
"Our main demand is withdrawal of foreign forces after which we will discuss a peaceful resolution with the Americans." A Taliban delegation met with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar in October to discuss ending the Afghan conflict.
Russia says the Moscow talks marked the first time that a Taliban delegation had taken part in such high-level international meeting.
Afghan delegation member Hajji Din Mohammad told journalists that Russia had invited them to a new meeting but that "agreement was not reached on holding direct talks" with the Taliban, RIA Novosti news agency reported. As the talks opened, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the participation of both Afghan leaders and the Taliban was an "important contribution" aimed at creating "favourable conditions for the start of direct talks".
"I am counting on you holding a serious and constructive conversation that will justify the hopes of the Afghan people," he said before the rest of the meeting was held behind closed doors at a Moscow hotel.
Taliban only to hold talks with US
Monitoring Report
November 11,2018
Russia, which said it had invited representatives from the US as well as India, Iran, China and Pakistan, hailed the meeting as an opportunity to open a new page in the Afghan history and seek an end to the war 17 years after the US-led invasion, reports Geo.
MOSCOW: The Taliban on Saturday refused to hold talks with the Afghan government as they are willing to negotiate with the United States.
Afghan rivals failed to reach a breakthrough on holding direct peace talks after international talks here on Friday — the latest international push to end the conflict.
Russia, which said it had invited representatives from the US as well as India, Iran, China and Pakistan, hailed the meeting as an opportunity to "open a new page" in the Afghan history and seek an end to the war 17 years after the US-led invasion, reports Geo.
The talks came with the Taliban ratcheting up pressure on the Afghan police and troops this year even as they showed a tentative willingness to hold talks with the United States.
The Moscow meetings ended without any side agreeing on a path to direct dialogue, delegations from the Taliban and Kabul´s High Peace Council said.
"This conference was not about direct talks," Taliban spokesman Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai told journalists in translated comments quoted by Interfax news agency.
The Taliban "do not recognise the current government as legal and therefore we won´t hold talks with them," he added.
"Our main demand is withdrawal of foreign forces after which we will discuss a peaceful resolution with the Americans." A Taliban delegation met with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar in October to discuss ending the Afghan conflict.
Russia says the Moscow talks marked the first time that a Taliban delegation had taken part in such high-level international meeting.
Afghan delegation member Hajji Din Mohammad told journalists that Russia had invited them to a new meeting but that "agreement was not reached on holding direct talks" with the Taliban, RIA Novosti news agency reported. As the talks opened, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the participation of both Afghan leaders and the Taliban was an "important contribution" aimed at creating "favourable conditions for the start of direct talks".
"I am counting on you holding a serious and constructive conversation that will justify the hopes of the Afghan people," he said before the rest of the meeting was held behind closed doors at a Moscow hotel.
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