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KABUL: The United Nations calls on the Afghan parties to begin “real peace negotiations” and give priority to the talks.
Deborah Lyons, the UN chief’s special representative in Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a visit to Qatar accelerated efforts to resume intra-Afghan dialogues. She met there with Taliban representatives and the UNAMA twitted that the meeting discussed need for peace and the UN’s support for the process.
Ms. Lyons emphasized on the peace talks as the only solution of war, telling Taliban representatives that peace negotiations should really begin.
The peace talks between Afghan government and Taliban began last year but stalled after several months of talks where the two parties failed to agree on key issues.
Now, Taliban are reportedly ready to restart talks with Ghani administration. Taliban have intensified attacks on government forces since the US has started leaving Afghanistan. The insurgent group has so far captured more than 100 of 378 districts.
However, Taliban rejected the reports, with their political spokesman Mohammad Naeem saying that “such thing has not happened”.
Taliban’s advancement in north and northeast has caused worry in the Central Asian countries. Tajikistan has planned to deploy 20,000 troops along the border with Afghanistan.
Pakistan that has been long accused of supporting Taliban, also expresses concerns over a civil war in Afghanistan.
“The only concern now is security in Afghanistan. I talked to Iranian President and we all Afghanistan’s neighbors are working to make a political settlement to prevent a long war because our brothers in Afghanistan will be more victims of war. In addition to Afghan migrants, we will lose ties with the Central Asia,” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said Tuesday.
The government of Afghanistan rejects reports about a civil war.
