Taliban must not raise issues with delegation: Omar

KABUL (TOLO News): Afghan Presidential Advisor Waheed Umar on Sunday asked the Taliban to introduce their delegation for intra Afghan talks and stop making excuses. Addressing reporters here, he said the government delegation was inclusive and was introduced.

Wahid Omar at a press conference on Sunday in Kabul responded to the Taliban statement about the Afghan peace delegation being “against the agreement between the Taliban and the US,” saying the Taliban must not raise issues with our delegation, as we also can raise issues with theirs.

All the prisoners released at one time would be not possible, and there are conditions, Omar said, adding that the delegation that has been announced will represent “a united Afghanistan.”

Earlier, the Taliban has refused to negotiate with a team announced by the Afghan government, the armed group’s spokesman has said, in a potential setback to the next steps in the United States-brokered peace process.

“We have never said what kind of Taliban should form a delegation, so we are asking the Taliban to not make an issue out of it,” he said.

“We hope that the Taliban also forms their delegation and the intra-Afghan talks can start,” he said.

Earlier the Taliban released a statement saying that the group has some reservations about the peace negotiating team formed by the Afghan government and that the Afghan government can take part in the intra-Afghan talks “only as a side like other Afghan factions.”

“The team announced by the (Afghan govt) is…against the peace agreement between the Taliban and the US,” said the Taliban statement.

“In order to reach lasting and real peace, this should be formed with the agreement of all sides, so that it can represent others too. But it looks like other sides are not satisfied with the team announced,” the statement said.