Spokesman For Afghan President Ghani Says Government Committed To Long-Lasting Peace

KABUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2020) The government of Afghanistan is committed to reaching a long-lasting peace settlement that will bring stability to the country, although securing the release of all prisoners currently held by the Taliban is of paramount importance, presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said on Sunday.

"The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is committed to ending the war and resuming peace talks without delay in order to bring peace and stability to the country, but the release of all security and defense forces captives currently held by the Taliban is in the interest of the country and its people," Seddiqi wrote on Twitter.

The government in Kabul and the Taliban have agreed to a mutual exchange of prisoners as part of efforts to begin intra-Afghan talks on reaching a peace settlement to end the country's long-running conflict. However, disagreements over this process have stalled negotiations.

"The prisoner exchange process is very important, as a matter of principle," Seddiqi added.

The Afghan government committed to releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners after the militant group and the United States signed a peace deal in February.

According to the agreement, the Taliban should also release 1,000 prisoners, although Kabul has accused the militant group of detaining civilians to then subsequently release them.