DOHA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th July, 2020) The Taliban movement is ready to start intra-Afghan talks in Doha within a week after the completion of prisoner release, Suhail Shaheen, an official representative of the movement's political bureau in Qatar, told Sputnik.
Earlier in the day, Afghanistan's 1TV news reported that the Afghan government had refused to free 597 Taliban fighters whose release was crucial for the start of intra-Afghan peace talks. The Office of Prisons Administration said that the men in question had been convicted of criminal offenses, including murder.
According to Shaheen, the movement has an agreement with the Qatari authorities regarding the holding of the first round of talks as soon as Kabul releases all 5,000 prisoners. The Taliban representative noted that the Afghan authorities had so far released only 3,618 people, and date for the talks depended on the speed of the government's actions.
On February 29, the United States and the Taliban movement signed a peace deal in the Qatari capital of Doha, stipulating gradual withdrawal of US troops, beginning of intra-Afghan negotiations and prisoner exchanges. The intra-Afghan talks failed to begin as scheduled amid differences over prisoner release, with the Taliban demanding that Kabul release all 5,000 prisoners at once.
