UAE says US-Taliban talks show ‘positive’ result

The United Arab Emirates said talks it is hosting between the United States and the Taliban have yielded “positive” results.

The US-Taliban “reconciliation talks” produced “tangible results that are positive for all parties concerned”, the UAE’s official WAM news agency said on Wednesday.

A new round of talks would be held in Abu Dhabi “to complete the Afghanistan reconciliation process”, it said without providing further details.

The two days of meetings in the Emirati capital are Washington’s latest attempt at ending Afghanistan’s 17-year conflict, which has cost it nearly $1 trillion since 2001 when it led an invasion to overthrow the Taliban government of Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks. 

President George W Bush’s administration at the time accused the Afghan group of harbouring Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, which allegedly carried out the attacks. 

The Taliban, which has not confirmed meeting Afghan officials, said it had held “preliminary talks” with the US envoy.

In a statement released after the talks, a Taliban spokesperson said the “focal point of discussion was the withdrawal of foreign troops”.

“… the root cause of all problems and biggest obstacle to peace is the occupation of Afghanistan and bringing it to an end,” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Taliban said the “indiscriminate bombings against civilians” must be stopped immediately. 

‘Roadmap before presidential election’

US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said he had “productive” meetings in the UAE with Afghan and international partners “to promote intra-Afghan dialogue towards ending the conflict”.

Khalilzad tweeted he met with Pakistani officials on Wednesday to brief them before travelling to meet Afghan leaders in Kabul.

He said he would like to see a “roadmap” agreement reached before Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for April.

In another breakthrough, three representatives of the Haqqani network – Hafiz Yahya, Saadullah Hamas and Dr Faqeer – were also present at the talks, The Associated Press quoted an anonymous Taliban source as saying.

Although part of the Taliban, the Haqqani network has its own military committee. Its leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is deputy head of the Taliban. The group’s prowess on the battlefield makes its presence at the meeting particularly significant because it’s unlikely any agreement could be enforced without their support.

Other attendees included officials from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, which along with the Emirati hosts were the only other countries to recognise the Taliban rule during its five-year reign starting in 1996.

The Taliban has refused to meet directly with the Afghan government, viewing it as a puppet of the US. 

The armed group controls nearly half of Afghanistan and is more powerful than at any time since the 2001 invasion.