KABUL - The Afghan government has officially asked the Taliban to
put forward members to open its political office in Qatar. The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Sunday said that the government supports
the plan to open the office, "but it's time for them [the Taliban] to
announce their readiness for the peace talks."
"Now, it's the Taliban's turn to release a clear statement saying
that they have cut their ties with Al Qaeda or that they are willing to
cut it. The second thing is that the group should state its readiness
for talks with the High Peace Council which represents all the
political groups.
"The government of Afghanistan – at the level of foreign minister,
High Peace Council, and even the president – has certainly stated its
agreement to open such an office, under special conditions," MOFA
spokesman Janan Mosazai said Sunday.
Earlier this month President Hamid Karzai visited Qatar to further plans to open the office in the capital city Doha.
Karzai met with the Qatari emir who agreed that the office will only
be used for peace talks and not for any other purpose, according to a
statement from Karzai's office.
The Taliban office is seen as a key step in bringing the insurgent
group into negotiations for a peace deal with the Afghan government.
Although the plan has its critics who doubt that it will make any
difference.
Mosazai also said Sunday that talks about the security agreement between Afghanistan and US is continues.
"The delegations of the two countries have talked threes time in Kabul and advice between the two side is continuing," he said
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