On November 15, Doha Negotiators agreed on rules: Taliban
Nov 29, 2020
Kabul [Afghanistan], November 29 : The negotiators from parties of the Intra-Afghanistan peace negotiations -- the Taliban and the Afghanistan government -- have agreed on procedural rules with 21 items for the intra-Afghan talks on November 15, said the Taliban Spokesperson on Saturday.
"The procedure of Intra-Afghan negotiations between the negotiating teams was completed and finalized in 21 articles on the 15th of November 2020," tweeted Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban.
Citing sources, Tolo News reported that, this week, a breakthrough in the talks and said both sides have agreed to include the US-Taliban agreement, UN endorsements for the Afghan peace process, commitments of the negotiating teams and the will of the people of Afghanistan.
However, the Presidential Palace denied the reports that any progress had been made in the peace talks and said that the deadlock still remained.
Afghan chief negotiator Mohammad Massoom Stanikzai and presidential peace adviser Salam Rahimi have been on a secret trip to Kabul over the past three days, seeking President Ghani's approval for the agreed formulation, according to sources this week.
The peace negotiations between teams from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban started on September 12 but to date, no direct talks have started because of disagreements on procedural rules for the negotiations.
Since the start of negotiations in Doha, members of the contact groups of both sides of the peace negotiations have met several times to agree on the contested issue.
"The Taliban has staged attacks on the centers of at least 50 districts in 16 provinces of the country following the signing of the peace deal with the US in Doha in February, and most of these attacks happened in the last two months after the start of the negotiations in Qatar on September 12," sources from various provinces said Thursday, reported by Tolo News.
