Taliban May Reconsider Stance On Istanbul Conference If Its Demands Met - Spokesman

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th April, 2021) The Taliban movement may reconsider its position on participation in the Afghan peace conference in Istanbul if the demands of the movement are met, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Sputnik.

"We do not participate in the Turkish conference on the terms they wanted us to attend. If our requests and observations on the meeting are accepted, we can reconsider our position," Mujahid said.

Earlier, Al-Jazeera broadcaster reported, citing a source in the Afghan Supreme Council for National Reconciliation, that the conference on Afghanistan in Istanbul was allegedly postponed due to the refusal of representatives of the Taliban movement to participate in it.

Russian presidential envoy Zamir Kabulov told sputnik that Moscow hoped for Taliban's participation in the Istanbul conference. Kabulov noted that Moscow closely followed the preparations for this event, and it was clear that the differences between all the negotiating Afghan parties were still too great.

The Taliban have previously stated that they did not intend to take part in the conferences until all foreign troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan. In April, the US authorities announced withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan before September 11, while earlier in the negotiations in Qatar, the withdrawal date was set for May 1.

Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that a conference with the participation of representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban movement on the Afghan settlement was scheduled in Istanbul from April 24 to May 4.