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Afghan Govt Responds To Taliban’s Talks ‘Offer’

The Afghan government on Tuesday said it has no preconditions for peace talks with the Taliban and that it is willing to discuss the issue with the group at a location of its choice. 

This comes after the Taliban issued a statement on Monday night saying it was open to discussions with the United States. 

Haroon Chakhansuri, President Ashraf Ghani’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Communications and Media, told a press conference on Tuesday that government was ready to negotiate with the Taliban “anywhere that the group wants”.

“They (Taliban) have twice asked the US and said they are ready for direct talks with the United States. But the Afghan government is telling them (Taliban) that if you are Afghans, come and talk with Afghanistan. The Afghan government is ready to talk,” Chakhansuri said.

In its statement, the Taliban called on US officials “to talk directly to the Political Office of Islamic Emirate (in Qatar) regarding a peaceful solution to the Afghan quandary”.

This move has however been met with mixed reaction by Afghans. 

“Taliban are committed to this remark. They have repeatedly said they are ready to talk directly with Americans, because the government of Afghanistan cannot address their requests,” said Sayed Ishaq Gailan, the head of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan.

“Today we announced our readiness to start peace talks of Afghanistan, because it is an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process,” the High Peace Council spokesman Sayed Ehsan Taheri said. 

“We are ready to prepare a venue wherever anti-government armed opposition thinks that they will be safe.” 

The Taliban’s statement comes just days after Kabul started discussions with the Qatar government to close the Taliban’s office in Doha as it has had “no positive consequence in terms of facilitating the peace talks with the group in Afghanistan”, a senior Afghan government official said.

Afghan Govt Responds To Taliban’s Talks ‘Offer’

Afghan government says it is ready to negotiate with the Taliban “anywhere that the group wants”.

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The Afghan government on Tuesday said it has no preconditions for peace talks with the Taliban and that it is willing to discuss the issue with the group at a location of its choice. 

This comes after the Taliban issued a statement on Monday night saying it was open to discussions with the United States. 

Haroon Chakhansuri, President Ashraf Ghani’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Communications and Media, told a press conference on Tuesday that government was ready to negotiate with the Taliban “anywhere that the group wants”.

“They (Taliban) have twice asked the US and said they are ready for direct talks with the United States. But the Afghan government is telling them (Taliban) that if you are Afghans, come and talk with Afghanistan. The Afghan government is ready to talk,” Chakhansuri said.

In its statement, the Taliban called on US officials “to talk directly to the Political Office of Islamic Emirate (in Qatar) regarding a peaceful solution to the Afghan quandary”.

This move has however been met with mixed reaction by Afghans. 

“Taliban are committed to this remark. They have repeatedly said they are ready to talk directly with Americans, because the government of Afghanistan cannot address their requests,” said Sayed Ishaq Gailan, the head of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan.

“Today we announced our readiness to start peace talks of Afghanistan, because it is an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process,” the High Peace Council spokesman Sayed Ehsan Taheri said. 

“We are ready to prepare a venue wherever anti-government armed opposition thinks that they will be safe.” 

The Taliban’s statement comes just days after Kabul started discussions with the Qatar government to close the Taliban’s office in Doha as it has had “no positive consequence in terms of facilitating the peace talks with the group in Afghanistan”, a senior Afghan government official said.

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