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Taliban, Afghan gov't "agree to continue talks", says Pakistan

Xinhua, July 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

Afghan Taliban and the government have agreed to "continue talks to create an environment conducive for peace and reconciliation process," the Pakistan Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

Pakistan hosted the talks in Murree, a scenic city near Islamabad, on Tuesday. The meeting was the first ever direct contact between the two sides since President Ashraf Ghani has assumed office in September last year.

"The next meeting will be held at mutually convenient date after Ramazan," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a four- member delegation that includes representatives of the High Peace Council and advisers to the Afghan president, the Chief Executive.

A three-member Taliban team took part in the talks. All sides are silent over the name and positions of the Taliban participants.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry used "Tehrik-e-Taliban Afghanistan" that has never been heard before. The Taliban call themselves as "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" while the media call them Taliban or sometime the Taliban Islamic Movement.

Pakistan officially confirmed it has hosted the talks hours after the Taliban and the Afghan gov't met in Murree.

"As part of the commitment to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process, a meeting was hosted by Pakistan between the Afghan government and Tehreek-e- Taliban Afghanistan representatives," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The representatives of China and the United States also participated in the meeting, it said.

"The participants were duly mandated by their respective leadership and expressed their collective desire to bring peace to Afghanistan and the region," the statement claimed.

The participants exchanged views on ways and means to bring peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, adding it was agreed that for lasting peace in the region, each side would approach the process in sincerity and with full commitment.

"The participants recognized the need to develop confidence building measures to engender trust among all stakeholders."

The Foreign Ministry said Pakistan expresses its profound gratitude to the government of Afghanistan and Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan for their willingness to work towards bringing lasting peace in Afghanistan.

"We also thank other partners in peace, including the United Nations, for their contribution to peace, stability and development of Afghanistan." Endi