US Seeks To Maintain Broad International Support For Afghan Peace Talks - Envoy Khalilzad

The United States is keen on maintaining the current level of international support for its diplomatic efforts to put an end to the conflict in Afghanistan, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Thursday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th September, 2020) The United States is keen on maintaining the current level of international support for its diplomatic efforts to put an end to the conflict in Afghanistan, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Thursday.

"On the regional and international... we started building consensus in support of the peace process. And - with the exception of Iran - every relevant stakeholder country and institution supported our first two documents - the agreement [with the Taliban] and the joint declaration [with the Afghanistan government]. Pakistan, India, all Central Asian countries, Russia, China, Indonesia, every nation in the EU, the UK, the UN and NATO," Khalilzad said during a webinar at the United States Institute of Peace.

The United States and the Taliban, Afghanistan's major armed opposition movement, signed a peace deal in February, paving the way to the reduction of violence in the country, gradual troops withdrawal and intra-Afghan negotiations which started in Qatar earlier this month.

"Moving forward we will focus on maintaining this momentum and encouraging this level of international support," Khalilzad said.

He singled out Iran for seeking to keep the US "entangled in the conflict without winning or losing, but paying high price in Afghanistan until there is an agreement between US and Iran."