Roundup: Direct talks between Afghan gov't, Taliban welcomed

Holding the first-ever face-on-face talks between a delegation of Afghan government peace body the High Peace Council (HPC) and Taliban representatives in Pakistan has been widely welcomed at home and abroad.

The much-awaited peace talks since the collapse of Taliban regime in late 2001, according to Afghan government, was held in Pakistan scenic town Murree near Islamabad on Tuesday and both sides agreed to hold second round of the talks after Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month.

Both the Afghan government and its people have welcomed the talks as the first step towards achieving lasting peace via peaceful means.

"The first-ever formal talks for peace between the delegation of High Peace Council of Afghanistan and Afghan Taliban group was held in Murree city of Pakistan last night (Tuesday night) and the second round of talks would be held after Ramadan," a statement of Afghan foreign ministry released here Wednesday said.

Aimed at contacting anti-government militants and established by former president Hamid Karzai in 2010, the 70-member High Peace Council (HPC) was authorized to contact Taliban and other insurgent groups to convince them give up fighting, reconcile and help government in reconstruction process of the war-ravaged country.

"The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan while welcoming beginning the formal talks as the first step towards achieving peace is hopeful that the process could facilitate the way for achieving lasting and honorable peace in the country," the statement of Afghan foreign ministry added.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has also welcomed the talks held with Taliban in Pakistan.

"The peace talks with the Taliban should be and will be Afghan- led and Afghan- owned," said an official statement posted on the Presidential Palace website on Wednesday.

Welcoming the talks, the statement added, "The preliminary peace talks will include three major parts i.e. changing the initial peace talks process to a continued course, trust building and preparing a list of the most important demands in the agenda for peace talks," the Afghan president said.

UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) has also expressed appreciation.

"The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Nicholas Haysom, welcomed the direct talks held yesterday between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad, Pakistan, and urged the parties to take the next steps towards a reconciliation and peace process," said a statement of UNAMA released here Wednesday.

"In the long term, peace is not a luxury, it is a necessity," said Haysom in the statement, adding, "I welcome the direct face- to-face engagement by the parties as the only way to achieving progress towards a negotiated agreement and ultimately the peace that Afghanistan deserves."

Afghans from all walks of life have welcomed the talks held in Pakistan as the first step towards finding negotiated agreement to their country's lingering crisis.

"No doubt, I welcome the talks between the government and Taliban in Pakistan as a good omen for achieving lasting peace in the country. Afghanistan has hugely suffered due to the protracted war, enough is enough and there is no need to fight more," a Kabul street vendor Mohammad Azam told Xinhua.

A four-member delegation headed by deputy foreign ministry Hekmat Khalil Karzai represented Afghan government in the talks with Taliban, according to media reports.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit has expressed ignorance over holding the peace talks, saying he would share with media if receives information about the talks with Afghan government. Endi