Taliban spokesperson says they and the US look for 'tangible results' at the seventh and latest round of peace talks in Qatar
US officials and the Taliban began the seventh round of talks on Saturday, in what one US official said was a"make-or-break moment" in efforts to end the 18-year war.
Shaheen told The Associated Press both sides are looking for “tangible results” as they try to hammer out the fine print of agreements that will see the eventual withdrawal of over 20,000 US and NATO troops from Afghanistan, and end America’s longest-running war. Pompeo and Khalilzad have both said the final accord will include not only agreements with the Taliban on troop withdrawal and guarantees of a non-threatening Afghanistan, but also agreement on intra-Afghan dialogue and a permanent cease fire.
The Taliban have refused a ceasefire until the withdrawal is complete, saying that to restart their insurgency if the US reneges on its promises could be difficult.But the accelerated pace of negotiations and the sudden announcement of a September 1 target date for an agreement could be linked to President Ghani's insistence on presidential polls scheduled for September 28 in Afghanistan, say analysts.
While there were incidences of violence during the polling, analysts widely agreed the greatest flaw was the widespread mismanagement and fraud.“I do think the US government recognises that the election could pose a major obstacle to peace talks, given that it will be a distraction and given that it will accentuate and intensify the fractures and rivalries in the Afghan political environment that undercut reconciliation prospects," said Kugelman.
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