Afghan govt top negotiator asserts peace talks in Doha will end 'misery'

The head of Afghanistan’s peace council, Abdullah Abdullah, thanked the Taliban for showing “willingness to negotiate” to end 19 years of war. Addressing the opening ceremony of peace talks in Doha, the Afghan government's top negotiator they could strike a peace deal to put an end to the decades of conflict if warring parties come together.

“I believe that if we give hands to each other and honestly work for peace, the current ongoing misery in the country will end,” said Abdullah at the ongoing ceremony on September 12.

Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, arrived in the Qatari capital on September 11 to attend the opening ceremony of the intra-Afghan peace talks. He said that he would also meet leaders of the host state, heads of delegates, and representatives of the participant countries during his visit.

"I can tell you with confidence that the history of our country will remember today as the end of the war and suffering of our people," said the former minister.

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US ambassador on peace talks

Ahead of the peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, Special US Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, told a press briefing that the people of Afghanistan demand an end to the war and the United States support them in that effort. The meeting in Doha is one of the key requirements and a product of the US-Taliban agreement signed on February 29, 2020.

The US media questioned the Afghan government’s decision, under the peace deal, to release prisoners convicted of deadly attacks on international troops. Citing the joint statement, Khalilzad said that difficult decisions had to be made as a confidence-building measure in order to achieve a great objective. He added that the release of prisoners was one such difficult decision.

“I know that none of us are happy about the release of prisoners that committed violence or – against our forces, but we want to keep the big picture in mind, unhappy as we are,” he said.

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