The United States said that its special envoy for Afghan peace was departing Tuesday on travel to Qatar and Afghanistan.
In Doha, Zalmay Khalilzad will resume talks with the Taliban as part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that ends the conflict in Afghanistan, the US State Department said in a statement.
In Kabul, he will consult with the leadership of the Afghan government on the peace process and encourage full preparation for intra-Afghan negotiations, the statement said.
Khalilzad has held eight rounds of talks with the Taliban. The talks have focused on counter-terrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan negotiations and ceasefire.
The US hopes to reach an agreement by the end of this month.
Khalilzad said on Twitter that he will try and close on remaining issues as he resumes talks with the Taliban
“We’re ready. Let’s see if the Taliban are as well,” Khalilzad said.
Meanwhile, Norway’s special envoy for Afghanistan expressed his country’s readiness to host intra-Afghan negotiations as he met with Afghan government leaders in Kabul on Tuesday and
The government announced formation of a 15-member team for talks with the Taliban, but the group’s spokesman Suhail Shaheen has criticized ‘concealing’ names of the team’s members.
