US-Taliban peace talks have not stopped; Taliban spokesman told ILNA

asdasd
News code : ۷۵۹۹۸۰

Talks between the Taliban and the US have not stopped, Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman told ILNA news agency on Sunday.

But AFP late Sunday reported that negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart Afghanistan.

Taliban political spokesman said the talks were pausing for the first day of the holy month of Ramadan but would be resumed Tuesday.

"The main axis of negotiations, as in the past, will be over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which is very important for both sides," Suhail Shaheen added.

Asked if that meant nothing would move forward until America announced a withdrawal timetable, Shaheen said: "In principal, yes", adding that the issue might not be resolved in this round of talks.

He added that some disagreements have decreased but "compromise" has not been made.

Sultan Barakat, the director of the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Doha, also said the talks would resume Tuesday, and that they had made "good progress".

The Taliban and US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad have met repeatedly in the Qatari capital Doha in recent months in a bid to finally end Afghanistan's gruelling war.

END

endNewsMessage1
Comments