Shadi Khan Saif
20 February 2020•Update: 20 February 2020
KABUL, Afghanistan
Afghan president on Thursday met with U.S.’ top peace negotiator in the capital Kabul to discuss details about the proposed “reduction of violence” agreement for peace in the country, an official statement said.
Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S.’ special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, arrived in Kabul on Wednesday as part of his shuttle diplomacy for peace.
Ghani told the visiting U.S. envoy that the success of peace process should mean all segments of the society -- including women, children and youth; who have suffered from the war -- see peace in the country, according to the statement issued by the presidency.
Ahead of his meeting with Khalilzad, the Afghan president met with with parliamentarians and top security officials from across the country to discuss the peace process and the proposed “reduction in violence” agreement that the U.S. is set to ink with the Taliban.
Last week, Ghani welcomed “notable progress” made in talks between the U.S. and the Taliban.
Meanwhile, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s deputy head, confirmed in an op-ed published in the New York Times on Thursday that the group is about to sign an agreement with the U.S.
In September last year, U.S. President Donald Trump cancelled a proposed peace deal with the insurgents in final moments over killing of a U.S. soldier in the Afghan capital Kabul.
