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A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 29 January 2019
US envoy: 'Agreement in principle' on Afghan peace talks

By RAHIM FAIEZ the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks
Associated Press to topple the Taliban, who
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — were harboring Osama bin
Negotiators for the U.S. and Laden and al-Qaida.
the Taliban insurgents have The statement from Ghani's
reached "agreements in office also claimed that the
principle" on key issues for Taliban demanded from
a peace deal that would Khalilzad the withdrawal of
end 17 years of war in Af- all foreign troops from Af-
ghanistan, the top U.S. en- ghanistan, but that there
voy said Monday. was also no agreement on
The statement by U.S. en- that issue.
voy Zalmay Khalilzad fol- The statement added that
lowed six days of talks last Khalilzad has no authority
week with the Taliban in to discuss issues such as a
Qatar, where he urged the future Afghan administra-
Islamic insurgent group to tion but that his goal is to
enter into direct negotia- facilitate an intra-Afghan
tions with the government dialogue, meaning direct
of Afghan President Ashraf talks between the Taliban
Ghani. and Kabul.
Ghani on Monday assured Khalilzad had tweeted Sat-
Afghans that their rights will urday about progress in the
not be compromised in the talks in Qatar, where the
name of peace with the In this photo released by the Afghan Presidential Palace, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, insurgents have a political
speaks to U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, third left, at the presidential palace in Kabul. Af-
Taliban, who have been ghanistan, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. office, saying: "Meetings
staging near-daily attacks Associated Press here were more productive
against Afghan forces, than they have been in the
causing scores of casual- for international terrorist the first time I can say that to support the efforts to try past."
ties every week. Their offen- groups or individuals." we have made significant to find a peaceful solution. "We made significant prog-
sive has not let up despite He said the deal could progress," he said. We strongly support those ress on vital issues," he
the severe Afghan winter lead to a full pullout of U.S. Acting Defense Secretary efforts." tweeted, without offering
and the insurgents now troops in return for a cease- Patrick Shanahan said he Ghani sought to assure Af- details.
hold sway over nearly half fire and Taliban talks with has been briefed on the ghans that no deals would Abdul Hakim Mujahid, a
of the country. the Afghan government. talks and described them be made without Kabul's former Taliban official and
Khalilzad said in an inter- In his statement released by as encouraging, but he awareness and full partici- currently a member of the
view with The New York the U.S. Embassy, Khalilzad also told reporters that the pation. High Peace Council, an
Times that an agreement in said, "We made progress department has not been "Our commitment is to pro- independent body of cler-
principle was reached with on vital issues in our discus- directed to prepare for vide peace and to pre- ics and respected Afghan
the Taliban on the frame- sions and agreed to agree- a full withdrawal from Af- vent any possible disaster," figures, said he believes
work of a peace deal ments in principle on a cou- ghanistan. Ghani said in an address to the Qatar talks resulted in
"which still has to be fleshed ple of very important issues. Speaking before a meet- the nation. "There are val- a "good understanding be-
out" that will see the insur- "There is a lot more work to ing at the Pentagon with ues that are not disputable, tween both sides" but that
gents commit to guaran- be done before we can Shanahan, NATO Secretary such as national unity, na- more discussions are need-
teeing that Afghan territory say we have succeeded in General Jens Stoltenberg tional sovereignty and ter- ed in the coming weeks or
is not used as a "platform our efforts but I believe for said any discussion about ritorial integrity." months.
the withdrawal of NATO Ghani's office said he and "Afghanistan's problem is
Hamas says Egypt will forces from Afghanistan Khalilzad met late Sunday not so simple that it can be
would be premature. He in Kabul to discuss details solved in a day, week or
reopen Gaza crossing said Khalilzad had briefed from the talks. month, it needs more time
and more discussions," Mu-
NATO allies on the talks Khalilzad's statement em-
for 3 days weeks ago. phasized the inclusion of jahid told The Associated
"We are in Afghanistan to the Afghan government in Press. The Taliban have in
create the conditions for a the talks. the past refused to negoti-
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip The Islamic militant group peaceful negotiated solu- "There is a false narrative ate directly with Kabul —
(AP) — Hamas says Egypt seized power in Gaza in tion," Stoltenberg said. "We that Afghans are not in- a standing that does not
will briefly open its border 2007, but allowed the will not stay longer than cluded. That is not true. The appear to have changed.
with Gaza in both direc- Western-backed Pales- necessary, but we will not Afghan voice is there," he They have maintained
tions for first time in three tinian Authority to oper- leave before we have a said. "We are working to- that they are prepared to
weeks. ate the crossing in a 2017 situation that enables us to gether to get to a compre- talk with U.S. officials only
The Hamas-run Interior reconciliation agreement leave or reduce the num- hensive cease-fire. We are and only about the pullout
Ministry in Gaza says the that has since unraveled. ber of troops without jeop- working with the Afghan of foreign forces from Af-
Rafah crossing will oper- Rafah is the main gate ardizing the main goal of government, with interna- ghanistan.Afghan political
ate for three days starting to the outside world for our presence and that is to tional partners, to find im- analyst Waheed Muzhda
Tuesday. Gaza's 2 million residents. prevent Afghanistan from plementing mechanisms to says he believes that Khalil-
Egypt has kept the cross- Under an Israeli-Egyptian becoming a safe haven for reach these goals." zad and the Taliban have
ing shut for outbound Pal- blockade imposed more international terrorists once Khalilzad has met with the reached agreement on
estinians since the Pales- than a decade ago to again." Taliban on a number of oc- both the withdrawal of U.S.
tinian Authority withdrew isolate Hamas, traffic at He added that he believes casions in recent months in forces from Afghanistan
its forces earlier this month the crossing has been sig- it's too soon to speculate the latest bid to end Amer- and a cease-fire deal, but
in a dispute with Hamas. nificantly curtailed.q on withdrawal because ica's longest war. The U.S. that neither side is prepared
"what we have to do now is invaded Afghanistan after to say so at this point.q