Officials and negotiators during a round of talks between representatives of the United States and Taliban in Doha.
Doha: The United States of America and the Taliban held a round of peace talks between February 25 to March 12, 2019, in Qatar, in continuation of the last round of peace talks that took place between January 21 and 26, 2019.
The talks focused on two main issues: the withdrawal of the US and Coalition Forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s commitment to preventing and denying the use of Afghan soil in a manner that threatens the security of the United States of America, its allies, or any other country.
The two parties, assisted by Qatari mediators, agreed that a lasting peace agreement should be based on four main interlinked components that shall be executed pursuant to an agreed upon timeline and conditions.
The talks were hosted and mediated by the State of Qatar, represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ Special Envoy for Counterterrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution H E Dr. Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtani.
The US was represented by the Special Representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, and on the other hand, the Taliban was represented by Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Lead Taliban Negotiator.
Both parties thanked the State of Qatar for its extensive efforts and constructive support in mediating the longest round of negotiations, lasting a total of 16 consecutive days.
Qatar renewed its plea for the inclusion of all regional and international parties to streamline and consolidate these efforts and the efforts of Qatar’s strategic partners to achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan. Qatar invites the two parties to initiate the next round of negotiations in the foreseeable future.
