DOHA, Qatar – Head of the Afghan negotiating team Masoom Stanekzai in a press conference Sunday said peace negotiation while war still going on in the country is not logical.
Stanekzai, in joint press conference with chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah in Doha, Qatar, said an agenda is being worked on to facilitate Intra-Afghan talks on peace in the country.
He hoped the initial talks will agree on a comprehensive ceasefire in Afghanistan, leading the talks to and end with no deadlock or hindrance.
Addressing the ongoing war, mostly claimed by the Taliban, stanekzai said war amid peace talks in the country is unacceptable.
Meanwhile, Abdullah said the doors for negotiation will not be closed despite conflicting thoughts of both parties.
He stressed on the joint effort, saying it is a responsibility for both sides to push through the process of Intra-Afghan talks after the initials settings have been made on Saturday.
Abdullah, furthermore, denied any exclusive meeting with the Taliban head Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha, saying there was no meeting as such.
His remark came at a time sources suggested Abdullah, Baradar and Mike Pompeo of State Secretary attended a trilateral meeting.
On Saturday, the opening session of Intra-Afghan talks were held in Qatari capital Doha, where the Afghan and the Taliban delegation team, including international allies, came together to start the long-waited peace negation that will end the roughly two decades of war in Afghanistan.
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Mohammad Arif Sheva