Negotiating teams Instruct Contact group to Present Solution to “disputed issues”
The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban negotiating teams held a general meeting on Wednesday night, instructing the contact group to present solutions to the disputed issues.
“The heads and members of both delegations discussed disputed issues and emphasized that the contact groups meet again to present solutions,” the government’s negotiating team twitted after the meeting.
Naeem Wardak, the Taliban spokesman in Qatar, said that a general session took place between the negotiating teams of Intra-Afghan negotiations.
“Both teams’ heads recommended and talked about this process to be pushed forward in a good manner,” he said. Adding that “Again, contested points were discussed and the contact groups were instructed to continue their discussion to resolve the dispute, so a final agreement about the procedures is reached as soon as possible, and after that, the agenda will be discussed”.
The intra-Afghan talks began on 12 September, but the two sides have not been able to reach a final agreement on the code of conduct which lays the ground for further discussions on key issues.
The differences are focused on two issues: “determining the jurisprudence as basis for resolving the implications of inter-Afghan negotiations” and in particular “the basis for advancing these negotiations.”
The Taliban insist on “US-Taliban deal” as basis for talks while the government emphasizes that the “Kabul-Washington declaration for reaching peace in Afghanistan” should be determined as basis for negotiations or several other alternatives be added.
