Khalilzad meets senior Afghan officials on peace process

KABUL (Pajhwok): US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has met senior government officials on the resumption of Afghan peace parleys in Doha. He held talks with Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar, National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib and President’s Chief of Staff Dr. Fazal Fazli. But he has not yet met President Ashraf Ghani.

“The US ambassador and Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, also attended the meeting,” MoFA said in a statement. The statement added they conferred on the second round of intra-Afghan peace dialogue and the recent progress in the process.

Foreign Minister Atmar praised US efforts to promote the peace process. He stressed consensus among regional countries on the Intra-Afghan peace negotiations. The statement said Khalilzad expressed his optimism about the second round of peace negotiations and assured continuous cooperation from the United States on facilitating the process.

On the other hand, the National Security Council said reduction of violence, a ceasefire from Taliban’s side, regional consensus on the Afghan peace process and attracting international cooperation were discussed at the meeting. The two sides agreed President Ghani and the US would jointly work to establish an independent, united and democratic Afghanistan and establish peace that would enable the country to preserve its past achievements.

The US envoy also met Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, chief of High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), jihadi elder Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf and former president Hamid Karzai. But Khalilzad, who visited Pakistan and Qatar before landing in Kabul, has not yet met President Ashraf Ghani.