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KABUL: The United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad on Friday called on President Asrhaf Ghani on the sideline of Munich Security Conference 2019, where they discussed current peace efforts including Consultative Loya Jiga (traditional grand assembly) to be convened next month to seek ways resolving Afghanistan’s current conundrum.
Recently President Ghani suggested consultative Loya Jirga at a gathering in Kabul on Feb 11. Soon after announcement, former President, Hamid Karzai expressed support for Ghani’s plan about calling a Consultation Loya Jirga.
“As I have repeatedly emphasized on calling the Loya Jirga and respecting people’s will and as I consider Loya Jirga as the only way that helps us get out of the current problems, this time I also call the Jirga necessary for reaching a longstanding peace and express my support for that,” Karzai said in a statement.
“Good meeting with President Ashraf Ghani in Munich. We discussed next steps on consultative Loya Jirga and the urgent necessity of an intra-Afghan dialogue, as well as key regional developments. We are united in our pursuit of peace,” Khalilzad wrote in his twitter.
Moreover, Presidential Palace in a statement confirmed their meeting, saying they discussed recent developments on peace in the region.
“They discussed next steps in the peace process, including the consultative Loya Jirga aimed at reestablishing consensus among Afghans on the peace process.”
Ambassador Khalilzad reiterated that the U.S. government is committed to playing a facilitative role in the peace process under the umbrella of Afghan government, the statement furthered.
Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad headed back to his peace mission traveling to Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Pakistan from February 10 – 28.
This trip is part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that protects U.S. national security interests and brings all Afghan parties together in an intra-Afghan dialogue through which they can determine a path for their country’s future, US Department of State said in a statement in that time.
During his meeting in Brussels he talked to EU and NATO partners. “Encouraged by their strong endorsement on the progress we’ve made on a peace process. Our shared purpose is to reach a peace agreement (not a withdrawal agreement) that is worthy of the sacrifices made over decades of war,” he tweeted.
“We went into Afghanistan together, and together we will determine our future posture, based on conditions we determine with Afghans. We also agreed that jumpstarting the intra-Afghan dialogue is an immediate priority.”
