US envoy in Kabul to accelerate Afghan peace process

Kabul, Mar 1 (efe-epa).- The United States special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, held discussions with officials in Kabul on Monday before he travels to Qatar to accelerate the slow-moving Afghan peace process.

The US State Department said, in a statement, that Khalilzad and his team would travel to Kabul, Doha, and additional regional capitals.

“He will resume discussions on the way ahead with the Islamic Republic and Afghan leaders, Taliban representatives, and regional countries whose interests are best served by the achievement of a just and durable political settlement and permanent and comprehensive ceasefire,” the statement said.

Khalilzad on Monday met Abdullah Abdullah, who heads Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation.

“We discussed the peace process, talks in Doha, the US current review and the steps forward,” Abdullah tweeted.

“We reiterated our call for an immediate end to violence and the acceleration of the peace talks,” he said.

The peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives began in Doha in September.

The negotiations suffered a stalemate that lasted for about a month before talks resumed in February.

However, the process has made little progress amid rising violent incidents, mostly targeted killings, in Afghanistan.

It is Khalilzad’s first visit to Afghanistan since Joe Biden took over as the new president of the US in January.

The Biden administration has said it was reviewing the peace agreement between then President Donald Trump’s administration and the Taliban signed in February 2020 in the Qatari capital.

The US is reexamining if the Taliban were living up to their peace commitments as enshrined in the pact before recalling the remaining 2,500 American soldiers from Afghanistan. EFE-EPA

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