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Afghan delegation to attend peace talks in Russia: official
KABUL, Nov 5, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – An Afghan delegation will attend
international talks on the war-torn country in Russia this month, officials
said Monday, as the Taliban consider whether to participate.
Moscow announced Saturday it would host the event on November 9 in the
Russian capital — even as the United States engages the Taliban in nascent
bilateral talks to end the 17-year conflict.
Afghanistan’s High Peace Council, a government body responsible for
reconciliation efforts with the militants, would send four representatives to
the meeting, spokesman Sayed Ihsan Taheri told AFP.
The Afghan foreign ministry, however, remained evasive about whether it
would dispatch a delegation to the conference, which will focus on
kickstarting peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban.
“We are still negotiating with the Russian officials,” spokesman
Sebaghtullah Ahmadi said.
“We welcome any peace effort that is Afghan-led.”
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the militant group was still
mulling whether to go.
Moscow has also invited representatives from the United States as well as
India, Iran, China, Pakistan and five former Soviet republics in Central
Asia.
Pakistan, which has long been accused of providing support to the Afghan
Taliban, would “definitely” attend, foreign ministry spokesman Muhammad
Faisal told AFP.
The US embassy in Kabul did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
The Moscow meeting was initially scheduled to take place in September, but
was postponed after Kabul insisted that the process should be Afghan-led.
The meeting comes at a sensitive time.
Newly appointed US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been trying to
convince the Taliban to agree to negotiate an end to the war and there are
fears the Russian multi-lateral meeting could derail those efforts.
A US government watchdog last week said Kabul’s control of Afghanistan had
slipped in recent months as local security forces suffered record casualties
while making minimal or no progress against the Taliban.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1622 hrs