KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th March, 2021) US Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and his team held productive consultations with Afghan government officials and civil society leaders, which focused on the need to boost the peace process through securing wider international support and finding a path to a political settlement, the US Embassy in Kabul said on Thursday.
"Khalilzad and his team just concluded a productive three days of consultations in Kabul with government officials, civil society leaders, and other Afghan political figures. In his meetings, Ambassador Khalilzad outlined our focus on Afghanistan, diplomacy, and garnering wider international support in order to help Afghans make more rapid progress on the peace process. He also noted that the Islamic Republic and the Taliban must find a path to a political settlement and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire," the embassy said in a statement.
According to the US embassy, Khalilzad and his delegations were encouraged by Kabul's commitment "to move more quickly" in order to achieve a "just and durable peace that Afghans demand and deserve."
The special envoy was "particularly heartened" by civil society leaders' commitment to peace, which remains strong amid an increase in violence, the embassy continued.
According to the statement, Khalilzad also reaffirmed support for peace activists and "leaders representing the advancement of women's rights."
