Top Afghan Peace Official Urges Stakeholders To Put Pressure On Taliban As Talks Resume

Top Afghan Peace Official Urges Stakeholders to Put Pressure on Taliban as Talks Resume

The international community and countries of the region should use their influence to press Taliban for peace, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said as intra-Afghan talks resumed in Doha after a hiatus

KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd February, 2021) The international community and countries of the region should use their influence to press Taliban for peace, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said as intra-Afghan talks resumed in Doha after a hiatus.

"We call on the international community and the countries of the region to put pressure on the countries that have influence over the Taliban, and to force the Taliban to seize the opportunity for peace," Abdullah told the council's meeting.

The official also welcomed the US administration's move to review the February 2020 agreement with the Taliban.

"We hope that the United States will take a decision based on the situation in Afghanistan. We welcome the recent decisions of NATO member states," he said.

Abdullah again condemned the rise in violence in the country, noting that it had also affected the negotiation process.

The Kabul-Taliban peace talks kicked off in Doha in September, but have since stalled. On Monday, the two delegations held a meeting after more than a month-long pause. The sides instructed working groups to continue their meetings to finalize the agenda of the negotiations, according to the Taliban.