The US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has discussed the Afghan peace process with the Taliban deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Qatari’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, a spokesperson for the Taliban political office, Mohammad Naeem, said.
“Implementation of the Doha agreement, the current situation of Afghanistan, and the ongoing process of the intra-Afghan negotiations were discussed” in the meeting held late yesterday, March 14, in Doha, Naeem said.
On March 01, Khalilzad arrived in Kabul and stayed for three days, meeting political figures and Jihadi leaders, including President Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR). In his first mission as the US peace envoy under the US Biden Administration, he proposed a draft peace agreement for the two negotiating parties in Kabul and Doha. The proposal is currently under study by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban.
The US proposal includes a transitional peace government and also a plan for reducing the violence across the country.
Though the government fears raising the issue, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan should have a clear and united position regarding the US proposal, the HCNR said in a statement issued on Sunday, March 14.
According to the statement, the HCNR leadership committee—which is comprised of prominent jihadi leaders and political figures—has discussed the US proposal. The committee would support any action which might ensure peace in Afghanistan, the statement said.
