DOHA: Peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar are ready to advance to the next stage, both sides said on Wednesday after agreeing on rules for the talks.

The meetings, which began in September, had been bogged down by disputes on the agenda, the basic framework of discussions and religious interpretations.

Pakistan welcomed the development, saying Islamabad would continue to support intra-Afghan negotiations.

Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government’s negotiating team, tweeted that “procedures for the intra-Afghan negotiations... have been finalised and discussions on the agenda” would follow.

Pakistan welcomes understanding

Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban, also tweeted that procedures for the talks had been “finalised and from now on, the negotiations will begin on the agenda”.

The warring sides have been engaging directly for the first time following a troop withdrawal deal signed in February by the Taliban and Washington. The US agreed to withdraw all foreign forces in exchange for security guarantees and a Taliban pledge to hold talks with Kabul.

Abdullah Abdullah, chairman of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, in a tweet called the move an “initial major step”.

Washington’s special envoy on the conflict Zalmay Khalilzad also welcomed the breakthrough, tweeting that it was a “significant milestone”.

He said the two sides had agreed on a “three-page agreement codifying rules and procedures for their negotiations on a political roadmap and a comprehensive ceasefire”.

“This agreement demonstrates that the negotiating parties can agree on tough issues,” he added.

While both sides’ negotiators had been ready to proceed with the talks, sources said that President Ashraf Ghani had objected to wording in the proposed ground rules that referred to his administration and the Taliban on an equal basis as “parties to the war”. It is unclear whether the wording was altered.

Outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for “expedited discussions” during a visit to Doha on November 21 during which he met both Taliban and Afghan government negotiators. There has been a surge of violence in Afghanistan in recent weeks.

FO statement

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad said the agreement reached in Qatar reflected a common resolve by the Afghan parties to secure a negotiated settlement.

“It is an important development contributing towards a successful outcome of intra-Afghan negotiations. Pakistan will continue to support intra-Afghan negotiations, culminating in an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political solution paving the way for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan,” the spokesperson said.

Baqir Sajjad Syed in Islamabad contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, December 3rd, 2020