Kabul: Afghan government and Taliban representatives said they had reached a preliminary deal to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the UN and Washington.
The agreement lays out the way forward for further discussion but is considered a breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire. “The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalised and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda,” Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government’s negotiating team, said. The Taliban spokesman confirmed the same on Twitter.
The deal comes after months of talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, encouraged by the US, while the two sides are still at war, with Taliban attacks on Afghan government forces continuing unabated.
US special representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said the two sides had agreed on a “three-page agreement codifing rules and procedures for their negotiations on a political roadmap and a comprehensive ceasefire”. Taliban insurgents refused to agree to a ceasefire during the preliminary stages of talks, despite calls from Western capitals and global bodies, saying that would be taken up only when the way forward for talks was agreed upon. “This agreement demonstrates that the negotiating parties can agree on tough issues,” Khalilzad said on Twitter.
Under a February deal, foreign forces are to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counter-terrorism guarantees from the Taliban. US President Trump has looked to hasten the withdrawal, despite criticism. The Trump administration has since announced that there would be a sharp drawdown by January, but at least 2,500 troops would remain beyond then.
German foreign minister Heiko Maas warned Nato against withdrawing troops prematurely and said it should “ensure that we tie further troop reductions in Afghanistan to clear conditions”. UN envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons welcomed the “positive development” on Twitter, adding that “this breakthrough should be a springboard to reach the peace wanted by all Afghans”.
