‘Peace process must be Afghan-led’: S Jaishankar at ‘intra-Afghan’ talks in Doha
'The friendship of our peoples is a testimony to our history with Afghanistan,' he said.
'The friendship of our peoples is a testimony to our history with Afghanistan,' he said.
According to a survey, the Institute for War and Peace Studies found that more than 86 per cent of the country's population are satisfied with the current peace process.
The intra-Afghan talks which were slated to begin on March 10 in Oslo were delayed because of the issues over the timing of the Taliban prisoner release.
The US-Taliban deal signed in Qatar on February 29 calls for the release of up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners to open the way for intra-Afghan negotiations.
Khalilzad also met President Ashraf Ghani and Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul and congratulated them on their agreement to form an inclusive government after proctracted negotiations.
Earlier, Ghani had pardoned thousands of Taliban prisoners in a key preliminary step to intra-Afghan talks between a government delegation and the extremist group.
The agreement, signed by Khalilzad and a senior Taliban official on February 29 in Doha, established a framework for bringing to an end America’s longest war, begun after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
