Mike Pompeo, Taliban, Afghan govt representatives meet in Qatar for talks

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with a team of Afghan government negotiators at the opening ceremony of the Intra-Afghan Negotiations in Qatar on September 12. The talks that were earlier scheduled to begin in March, were pushed repeatedly over hosts of disagreements between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban. Secretary Pompeo at the opening session of the talks said, "our hope is that you will reach sustainable peace and our goal is an enduring partnership with Afghanistan".

Read: Afghanistan's Warring Sides Meet To Seek Peace

'Historic negotiations' 

"I would urge each of you to engage the representatives of all Afghan communities, including women, ethnic and religious minorities, and the victims of your country’s long war.  These historic negotiations should produce a political arrangement that accommodates competing views and rejects the use of violence to achieve political aims," Pompeo was quoted as saying by the State Department website on Saturday. 

Read: Afghan Govt Top Negotiator Asserts Peace Talks In Doha Will End 'misery'

Nader Nadery, one of the representatives of the Afghan government said that the main objective of the talks is to achieve "peace" and "lasting stability" and to strengthen the country's democracy. "By achieving these goals, Afghanistan will have a bright future and opportunities for development and prosperity for its people and the region. It will also have opportunities for the well-being of our country and region as an active member of the international community," Nader Nadery said on Twitter.

Read: US Special Rep Zalmay Khalilzad Pegs Future Policy Decisions On Afghan Peace Talks Outcome

The peace talks between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban were delayed over the issue concerning the release of jailed fighters of the Islamist group, that had ruled the country before the United States' invasion in 2001 following the September 11 attacks. The United States and the Taliban in a historic meet this February had signed a peace agreement to end the 19-year-long war in the Islamic Republic. 

Read: EAM Jaishankar Attends Intra-Afghan Talks In Doha, Says 'peace Process Must Be Afghan-led'