DOHA – US special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad seeking to broker peace in Afghanistan has met one of the Taliban’s co-founders for the first time, as latest round of talks get under way in Qatar.
In a tweet, Zalmay Khalilzad said he held a working lunch with Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar before moving on to talks.
Zalmay Khalilzad said a draft framework of a peace deal had been agreed, based on commitments by US to withdraw international forces from Afghanistan and from the Taliban not to allow militant groups to operate in the country.
The Taliban also said progress has been made in the negotiations. However, a spokesman added that talks about unsolved matters would continue.
Taliban have so far refused to hold direct talks with Afghan officials.
https://twitter.com/US4AfghanPeace/status/1099981099814535168
As he arrived in Doha on Sunday to meet with a more authoritative Taliban delegation, Khalilzad appreciated Qatar for hosting and Pakistan for facilitating the peace talks.
