US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reported “notable progress” in peace talks with the Taliban as he spoke with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani via telephone on Tuesday.
“The Secretary informed me about the Taliban’s proposal with regards to bringing a significant and enduring reduction in violence,” Ghani said.
“This is a welcoming development and I am pleased that our principal position on peace thus far has begun to yield fruitful results. Our primary objective is to end the senseless bloodshed,” Ghani said.
“To do so, the Afghan people stand with us with their full consensus and I assure them that their leadership maintains the courage, competence, and the necessary resources to achieve this objective.”
“The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan will manage the next steps in a manner that positively supports the overall peace process and will report to the public,” Ghani said.
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who also received a call from Pompeo, said that the diplomat expressed “optimism that a reduction in violence and progress with current talks could lead to an agreement.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that US President Donald Trump had conditionally approved a peace deal with the Taliban that would withdraw the last American troops from Afghanistan.
The deal will only be signed if the Taliban prove their commitment to a durable reduction of violence over a test period of about seven days later this month, according to the report.
Citing an unidentified senior diplomat in Washington, NYT said that the deal was 95 percent agreed to in principle, but that the possibility of a final agreement will become clearer in a matter of couple weeks.
