Afghanistan's Abdullah Says Negotiators In Doha Must Use 'Language Of Peace'

Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 21, 2020 | 11:22 PM

The Afghan government's negotiators in the Qatari capital of Doha, who are attempting to agree on a lasting ceasefire in Afghanistan with the Taliban, must use the language of peace if they hope to reach a deal, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said on Monday

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2020) The Afghan government's negotiators in the Qatari capital of Doha, who are attempting to agree on a lasting ceasefire in Afghanistan with the Taliban, must use the language of peace if they hope to reach a deal, Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said on Monday.

Abdullah spoke during a meeting at the Afghan Presidential Palace in Kabul to mark the International Day of Peace, which is held annually on September 21.

"We will insist on upholding the values of the peace talks and we must believe in ourselves. For peace, we must use the language of peace. Our negotiating team is in Qatar and we must be careful with our words. If we want to preserve the achievements of the last 19 years, we must first implement them ourselves," Abdullah stated.

These sentiments were shared by Sarwar Danish, the second vice president of Afghanistan, who said that the Afghan government delegation must show patience.

"No one should impose their demands on the other side. Our delegation must exercise patience and perseverance, the decision is not to leave the negotiations, and no peace plan should endanger the national interest," Danish remarked.

Intra-Afghan peace talks began in the Qatari capital on September 12 after both the government and the insurgent group completed a prisoner exchange process.

Despite the ongoing peace talks, a number of armed clashes and bomb blasts rocked Afghanistan this past weekend, and US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad, earlier on Monday, called for both sides to reduce violence.