The Afghan government intends to raise issues related to security and ceasefire during the peace talks with the Taliban, who so far only prioritized political topics, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar told Sputnik in an intervie
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th February, 2021) The Afghan government intends to raise issues related to security and ceasefire during the peace talks with the Taliban, who so far only prioritized political topics, Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar told Sputnik in an interview.
Kabul and Taliban negotiators are currently underway with a new round of peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha. The previous round last December resulted in them reaching a consensus on the modalities of the negotiation, such as the venue and procedures.
According to Atmar, this round is aimed at agreeing upon the key items on the agenda.
"Taliban so far have talked only about political aspects. So we will discuss both political and security and ceasefire. We hope the Taliban will react positively if we have a regional and international unity," Atmar said.
Elaborating on the scope of Kabul-eyed topics, the minister first of all named a permanent ceasefire and cessation of violence.
"Second is political participation of all Afghans in an inclusive government, democratic commitments to human rights and women rights. Third is economic and humanitarian issues. Finally it is legal and international guarantees for peace agreement," Atmar said.
The Kabul-Taliban peace talks kicked off in Doha last September but have so far failed to put an end to the confrontation on the ground. On the contrary, Afghanistan has witnessed a spate of bomb attacks and clashes in recent months, with the military continuing to regularly conduct operations against Taliban operatives, who are now said to control some three-fourths of Afghan land.
