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KABUL: With constant rejection of Taliban group to set in talks with Kabul government, sources inside the government say that a government delegation would likely attend the intra-Afghan talks planned to be held in Qatari capital of Doha city and would sit for the first time face-to-face with Taliban negotiators.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan Leadership Council for Reconciliation has also said that a team from government would go to Qatar for talks with Taliban.
Taliban have so far rejected regional and international requests over setting negotiations with the Ghani administration.
The council said Sunday that the list of people who would represent government in negotiations with Taliban, would be publicized on Wednesday.
Political leaders and influential figures such as former president Hamid Karzai, jihadi leaders Karim Khalili, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rassoul Sayyaf and Ismael Khan and others held a meeting in President Ghani’s office, where vice president Sarwar Danesh was also present.
The leaders expressed their viewpoints on the peace ways in the second intra-Afghan talks in Qatar.
President Ghani called forming a negotiation team as a big achievement. He said that the team should be inclusive and represent Afghan women, youth, civil society and other people.
A source close to Karzai said that he accepted the government stance regarding peace talks.
Meanwhile, President Ghani’s Special Envoy and Head of the High Peace Council’s Secretariat, Umer Daudzai, who is also assigned as spokesman for Afghanistan Leadership Council for Reconciliation, on Sunday briefed reporters in Kabul, saying the council tasked him of forming a committee to work and make drafts for red lines in the talks with the Taliban.
“I have been tasked to assign a committee to work over formation of delegation to attend Qatar talks and will conclude it till forthcoming Wednesday for approval.”
He added that the Council have also made decision to an inclusive delegation from Afghanistan to travel to Qatar to be engaged in talks with the Taliban.
He termed formation of Leadership Council as core aim of shaping an inclusive peace team to run talks with Taliban on behalf of Afghan people.
“Our expectation from Taliban is the same to have clear stance in peace talks with Afghan delegation and refrain using Afghan peace talks as tool in campaigning their war.”
This comes as Zalamy Khalilizad US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Reconciliation on Saturday wrapped up his 2-day visit to Pakistan and returned Afghanistan to talk with Afghan leaders over peace process.
Before to leave Kabul to Islamabad, Khalilzad held talks with President Ghani and other prominent Afghans inside and outside of the government in his join efforts to meet the Afghan people’s compelling desire for peace.
During meetings with Afghan officials he discussed the necessity of an inclusive Afghan negotiating team and the Doha meeting to respond to Afghan people’s urgent demand for peace.
