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A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 22 February 2020
U.S., Taliban agree to terms for peace deal, troop withdrawal

By KATHY GANNON and stan Zalmay Khalilzad and
MATTHEW LEE Taliban representatives,
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The will eventually lead to a
United States and the Tal- permanent cease-fire. The
iban said Friday they have deal also envisions guar-
agreed to sign a peace antees from the Taliban
deal next week aimed at that Afghanistan will not be
ending 18 years of war in Af- used to attack the U.S. or its
ghanistan and bringing U.S. allies.
troops home, wrapping up "We are preparing for the
America's longest-running signing to take place on
conflict and fulfilling one of February 29," Pompeo said.
President Donald Trump's "Intra-Afghan negotiations
main campaign promises. will start soon thereafter,
The planned Feb. 29 sign- and will build on this fun-
ing depends on the suc- damental step to deliver a
cess of a week-long na- comprehensive and per-
tionwide 'reduction in vio- manent ceasefire and the
lence' agreement in which future political road map
all sides have committed for Afghanistan."
to end attacks. It is due to The Taliban, meanwhile,
start at midnight Friday lo- said in a statement that the
cal time (1930 GMT, 2:30 agreement is intended to
p.m. EST), according to an In this May 28, 2019 file photo, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, achieve nationwide peace
Afghan official who spoke speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. and and end to the for-
on condition of anonymity Associated Press eign troop presence in the
because he was not autho- country.
rized to talk to the media. to operate in the country, For the Taliban, the success- the agreement that had The statement said both
The announcement follows and the phased withdraw- ful completion of the truce been previewed a week sides "will now create a
months of negotiations be- al of U.S. and other foreign and Afghanistan peace ago by a senior U.S. official suitable security situation"
tween the two sides that troops over 18 months. talks would give the group at an international secu- ahead of the agreement
have broken down before. The plan is a gamble for a shot at international le- rity conference in Munich, signing date, invite interna-
Yet both parties have sig- Trump, who retweeted sev- gitimacy, which it lacked at Germany. The announce- tional representatives to a
naled a desire to halt the eral news accounts of the the time it ran the country ment had been expected signing ceremony, arrange
fighting that began with agreement. If it's success- and gave bin Laden and shortly thereafter but was for the release of prison-
the U.S. invasion after the ful, he will be able to claim his associates safe haven. delayed in part because ers, structure a path for
September 11, 2001, at- to have taken a first step The truce, to be monitored of Monday's release of peace talks, "and finally lay
tacks by Osama bin Lad- toward meeting his 2016 by American forces, will the results of Afghanistan's the groundwork for peace
en's Afghanistan-based al- campaign pledge to bring likely be fragile and U.S. of- disputed September 2019 across the country with the
Qaida network. American troops home. But ficials have noted the pos- elections that showed Pres- withdrawal of all foreign
Should the truce stand, the if it fails, Trump could be sibility that "spoilers" uninter- ident Ashraf Ghani winning forces."
U.S.-Taliban deal would painted by his Democratic ested in peace talks could by an extremely narrow The Taliban added that
be followed within 10 days adversaries in an election disrupt it. Determining who margin. they will not allow "the land
by the start of all-Afghan year as being naïve and is responsible for potential U.S. Secretary of State of Afghanistan to be used
peace talks that could re- willing to sacrifice the se- attacks during the seven Mike Pompeo said in a against security of others so
sult in the formation of a curity of U.S. soldiers and days will therefore be criti- statement that the peace that our people can live a
new government in Kabul, American interests for the cal. agreement, to be signed peaceful and prosperous
a pledge from the Taliban sake of political expedi- Both sides were cautiously in Doha, Qatar, by U.S. life under the shade of an
not to allow terrorist groups ency. optimistic in announcing special envoy for Afghani- Islamic system." q

Thousands light up joints during Hindu festival in Nepal

By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA makers has recently filed years for traffickers.
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — a petition to legalize the "There is really no harm in
Hindu holy men were joined farming and use of mari- smoking marijuana, it has
by devotees and the public juana. been proven to have med-
Friday at a revered temple "There is a ban on smoking ical use too," said Bimal
in Kathmandu where they marijuana but at the same Giri, a factory worker who
lit up marijuana cigarettes time it is a centuries-old tra- bought joints for 50 rupees
during an annual festival dition, which we have to (44 US cents) each from a
despite prohibition and respect," said police officer Hindu holy man.
warnings by authorities. Suman Khadka, adding Nepal was famous for mari-
Hundreds of police officers that no arrests were made. juana and other narcotics
patrolled the forested area During the festival, devo- in the 1960s, when hippies
around the Pashupati tem- tees visit temples of Hindu made their way to the Hi-
ple, which was crowded god Shiva. malayan nation. Shops and
with cannabis smokers cel- Currently, the use of mari- A Hindu holy man smokes marijuana during Shivaratri festival tea houses used to adver-
ebrating the Shivaratri festi- juana is punishable by at the premises of Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal, tise and sell it legally. How-
val. prison sentences of up to Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. ever, marijuana was out-
A group of ruling party law- a month for users and 10 Associated Press lawed in 1976.q