Washington
US Special Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad will meet Taliban negotiators in Doha and officials in India and Pakistan to support reduced violence, speeding up intra-Afghan peace talks and cooperating on the coronavirus pandemic during his upcoming visit, the State Department said on Wednesday.
Khalilzad’s trip comes amid concerns that surging Taliban attacks and the coronavirus pandemic could deal potentially fatal blows to his stalled efforts to end decades of strife in Afghanistan.
At each stop, Khalilzad “will urge support for an immediate reduction in violence, accelerated timeline for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations, and cooperation among all sides in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan,” the State Department said.
The statement did not disclose the exact schedule of Khalilzad’s trip that began on Tuesday.
It is the second trip he has made since April 12 in the midst of the pandemic to salvage a February 29 accord that he and the Taliban’s second in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed for a phased withdrawal of US troops from America’s longest war. A successful initiative could help US President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election in November. Khalilzad, the State Department said, would press Taliban officials “for full implementation” of the February 29 agreement.—Agencies
