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Afghan President calls on Taliban to "have the courage" to lower their arms

2020-10-06T19:09:01.188Z


Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday called on the Taliban to " have the courage to declare a national ceasefire " during a visit to Doha, where peace talks between the government and the Taliban are stalling. After two days in Qatar, Mr. Ghani told a conference that the long conflict in Afghanistan must be resolved by negotiation and " not by arms ". Read also: Afghanistan: towards a return


Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday called on the Taliban to "

have the courage to declare a national ceasefire

" during a visit to Doha, where peace talks between the government and the Taliban are stalling.

After two days in Qatar, Mr. Ghani told a conference that the long conflict in Afghanistan must be resolved by negotiation and "

not by arms

".

Read also: Afghanistan: towards a return of the Taliban to power

"

Do not be afraid of a ceasefire, no one will destroy you

," he told the Taliban in front of a crowd of diplomats and academics, three weeks after the launch of the talks peace between the two parties.

The negotiations in Qatar aim to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan but have been slowed down by disagreements over the code of conduct to be adopted in the discussions.

The main issues, including a ceasefire, have not yet been discussed.

"

You cannot end twenty years of war in twenty days,

" Ghani told reporters.

No official meeting has taken place between the Taliban and the government for nearly a week, but informal talks continue to take place, according to both sides.

In the meantime, violence is still raging in Afghanistan.

A suicide attack targeting a provincial governor killed eight people on Monday.

Read also: Afghanistan: the Taliban kill 28 police and paramilitaries in the South

In Doha, the two parties cannot agree on the language to be adopted and on the interpretation of Islam to be followed.

The Taliban, supporters of a rigorous application of Islam, wish to adhere strictly to the jurisprudence of Hanafism, a Sunni Islamic school.

But, according to government negotiators, it could be used against the Hazaras, mostly Shiites, and other Afghan minorities.

Both sides are also struggling to decide how the US-Taliban deal, signed in February, should influence the process.

US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, also in Doha, tweeted after his meeting with Ghani that the "

president should not let an opportunity for peace slip away

", adding that the United States was ready to provide their help.

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-10-06

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