KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2020) There are no obstacles remaining that could further delay the beginning of intra-Afghan talks between the government in Kabul and the Taliban, Ahmad Nader Naderi, a member of the government's negotiating team, told Sputnik on Friday.
Earlier in the week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signed a decree on the freeing of the remaining 400 prisoners that the Taliban sought the release of before beginning talks with the Afghan government.
"All the excuses that the Taliban had for the talks have been raised and there are no excuses left. We expect that this time the process will start and move forward ... The ceasefire will be discussed and there are no obstacles for us to negotiate to further delay the process," Naderi said.
At this stage, the Afghan government is ready to begin talks at any time, although certain logistical issues remain, including the issuance of visas, meaning that a start date for the negotiations has not yet been set, Naderi remarked.
The negotiating team member also stated that the Afghan government remains committed to ending the country's long-running conflict.
"I can't say anything about the agenda now, because now is the time to talk about the agenda in general, but what is important to us, what is important to the people of Afghanistan, is to end the ongoing war," Naderi remarked.
According to the terms of a peace deal signed in February by the militant organization and the United States, 5,000 Taliban detainees would be released in exchange for 1,000 government prisoners.
