TEHRAN, Feb 28 -The latest round of talks in Qatar aimed at ending nearly two decades of US occupation of Afghanistan has been put on hold until March 2 so that both sides can conduct "internal deliberations."
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC)-Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement on Thursday that the two sides had decided to adjourn the talks in order to hold consultations and prepare for their next session.
The talks, he said, included “extensive” discussions on how US-led troops could be withdrawn from Afghanistan and on how to guarantee that the country would not be used again by outside forces to attack other countries.
The Taliban said their newly-appointed political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar met with US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and top NATO commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller this week.
Baradar, a co-founder of the group, was released from a Pakistani jail last year to participate in the talks. He is believed to be widely respected by the Taliban's various factions, with analysts saying his participation would help garner support for any deal from insurgents on the frontlines.
Khalilzad said in a Twitter post on February 28 that the meetings in Doha were productive. "We continue to take slow, steady steps toward understanding and eventually peace."
The talks, he said, will continue on Saturday after a two-day break.
The two sides resumed talks this week after making progress in an earlier round of discussions, also held in Doha, in January. The marathon talks last month saw the US and the Taliban walk away with a "draft framework" focused on a potential US troop withdrawal and a pact to prevent Afghanistan from harboring terrorists.
The Taliban have reiterated opposition to direct talks with President Ashraf Ghani's administration in Kabul.
Ghani has repeatedly stressed that no peace deal between the Taliban and the United States could be finalized without involving his government.
On Thursday, Ghani reiterated that an Afghan-led peace process would provide lasting stability in the country. "Afghanistan wants cooperation and collaboration, but Afghans and the legitimate government of Afghanistan should own the peace process."
The Taliban's five-year rule over at least three quarters of Afghanistan came to an end following the US invasion in 2001 but 18 years on, Washington is seeking truce with the militants.
President Donald Trump has said he intended to reduce the number of US forces in Afghanistan. The Taliban have said the US promised them to withdraw half of its troops although the timing for the pullout has not been finalized.
The US forces have remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Trump.
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