SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
US says latest Taliban talks 'most productive' so far
Doha, July 6 (AFP) Jul 06, 2019
The seventh round of peace talks between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban that are ongoing in Qatar are the "most productive" so far, US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday.

"These six days have been the most productive of the rounds we've had with the Talibs... we made progress on all the issues that we have been discussing," Khalilzad said in Qatar.

The insurgents have been meeting with the US envoy in Doha to try to forge a deal that would see the US military quit Afghanistan in return for various guarantees.

Suhail Shaheen, the spokesman for the Taliban's office in Qatar, said they were pleased with the discussions so far.

"We are happy with progress and hope the rest of the work is also done. We have not faced any obstacles yet," he tweeted.

But the talks are set to be paused for two days while another summit with Afghan representatives takes place in Qatar's capital.

"Tomorrow and the day after, because of the intra-Afghan conference, no talks will take place," Shaheen said.

US envoy Khalilzad confirmed direct US-Taliban talks will restart on Tuesday.

About 60 Afghan delegates are expected to attend Sunday's so-called intra-Afghan dialogue, including political figures, women and various Afghan stakeholders.

The Taliban, who have steadfastly refused to negotiate with the government of President Ashraf Ghani, have stressed that those attending the talks planned for Sunday and Monday will only do so in a "personal capacity".

But the US has made it clear the Taliban must talk with the Afghan government before a peace deal can be completed.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said he hopes for an agreement before September 1.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Axiom private mission to ISS delayed because of weather
Trump-Musk showdown threatens US space plans
Japanese company aborts Moon mission after assumed crash-landing

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Leaders warn race for minerals could turn seabed into 'wild west'
China carefully assembling a deep-sea mining strategy
China, South Korea must safeguard free trade, Xi tells Lee

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Iran says has intel to strike Israel in response to 'any' attack on nuclear sites
Iran says to submit own nuclear proposal to US soon
NATO learns as Ukraine's 'creativity' changes battlefield

24/7 News Coverage
World leaders urged to step up for overexploited oceans
Farmed production of some fish - and seaweed - is soaring
What is the high seas treaty?



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.