US welcomes China’s offer to host talks between Taliban and Afghan government
- Washington joins Russia and Pakistan in backing proposal for meeting in Beijing aimed at paving way towards ‘comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement’
- Chinese proposal to mediate follows Donald Trump’s withdrawal from talks after death of US solider
The Taliban last week said that China had invited a delegation to talks in Beijing, the second such meeting after a dialogue in Qatar in July that jointly arranged with Germany.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy on Afghan peace, met with his colleagues from China, Russia and Pakistan last week in Moscow, where the four countries renewed support for a “comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement.”
The four countries “welcomed the Chinese proposal to host the next intra-Afghan meeting in Beijing,” according to a joint statement released on Monday by the United States.
The talks will include “a wide range of political figures” including “representatives of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, other Afghan leaders and the Taliban,” it said.
There was, however, some confusion about when the talks might take place.