US, Afghanistan Agree on Need for Intra-Afghan Dialogue With Taliban

Ghani and Khalilzad emphasized the importance of an intra-Afghan dialogue in a meeting Saturday evening between the two in Kabul.

Ariana News Agency- 

A statement released by Ghani’s office also called for “a future direct meeting with the Taliban led by the Afghan government.”
The Taliban have been negotiating directly with Khalilzad and his team since last September but have so far refused to include the Afghan government in that process or to engage with the government in any official capacity.

The insurgent group participated in an “intra-Afghan” conference in Moscow in February, which included dozens of Afghan politicians and other stakeholders, on the condition that Ghani’s administration would not be invited.

Under intense pressure from several regional countries and the United States, the Taliban agreed to include some officials from the Ghani administration in the next intra-Afghan conference on the condition the officials participate in their personal capacity.

The conference, scheduled for April 20-21, was canceled at the last minute because the Taliban said the government was insisting its delegates were official representatives of the Kabul regime.