Doha
The US negotiator on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was in Doha on Thursday for shuttle diplomacy between the Afghan government and Taliban negotiators, who are believed to be nearing a compromise on a key sticking point.
Discussions that began in the Qatari capital in mid-September, aimed at ending Afghanistan’s 19-year conflict, have stalled over disagreements on how to frame a code of conduct that will guide the broader talks.
The veteran US diplomat is to meet with both teams “to hear updates on their efforts to negotiate a settlement”, the US State Department said in a statement before Khalilzad’s arrival late Wednesday.
Issues, including a ceasefire or the type of governance that will shape Afghanistan’s future, have yet to be discussed.
But Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, which is overseeing Kabul’s peace push, told AFP on Wednesday there could be progress on a row over which interpretation of Islam should be used to frame laws in post-conflict Afghanistan. Another contentious topic is how the US-Taliban deal will shape a future peace deal and how it will be referred to.—AFP
