KABUL – A string of assassinations has sowed fear and chaos across Afghanistan as a fresh round of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban begin in Qatar Tuesday.
Months of deliberations between the two sides have yielded little so far, but both parties made something of a breakthrough last year when they finally agreed at least on what to discuss in the next round.
Afghan government negotiators will push for a permanent ceasefire and to protect the existing system of governance, in place since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001 by a United States-led invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
“The talks are going to be very complicated and time-consuming,” Ghulam Farooq Majroh, a government negotiator said.
“But we are hopeful to arrive at a result as soon as possible as people are tired of this bloody war.”
The Taliban did not offer any comment.
The first direct talks between the warring sides opened in September after months of delays, but quickly became bogged down by disputes on the basic framework of discussions and religious interpretations.
A concerted diplomatic effort from Washington finally led to a consensus.
The negotiations follow a landmark troop withdrawal deal signed in February by the Taliban and Washington, which saw the US pledge to pull out all foreign forces from Afghanistan by May 2021. – AFP, January 3, 2021
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