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Pakistani top security adviser visits Afghanistan to revive peace talks between Afghan gov't, Taliban

Xinhua, September 4, 2015 Adjust font size:

Pakistan National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz began on Friday a key visit to Afghanistan to explore ways to revive the stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban insurgents, officials said.

The Pakistan-brokered peace talks were postponed following the death of the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar. The Afghan government later canceled the talks after the Taliban carried out several deadliest attacks.

Aziz is scheduled to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and hold talks with his Afghan counterpart Hanif Atmar on the sidelines of a regional conference, the embassy spokesman, Akhtar Munir told Xinhua by the phone. He will also meet Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani.

Aziz will lead Pakistan delegation at the Ministerial Meeting of the Sixth Regional Economic Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA-VI) but the visit is seen very important as he will hold bilateral meetings that could help reducing tensions between the two countries.

Pakistan had hosted the first ever face-to-face talks between the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban near Islamabad on July 7. The second round was scheduled to take place on July 31st, however, the meeting was postponed on the Taliban request in view of the confirmation of the death of the Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he will no more ask Pakistan for the talks with the Taliban and his government will itself pursue the negotiaons.

A senior Pakistani official told reporters in Islamabad ahead of Aziz's visit that the security adviser will call for the end to the deadlock in the peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban as "military option will have fallout."

The official, who asked not to be identified by name, said " Sartaj Aziz will also want to know the mood of the Afghan leaders if they want revival of the intra-Afghan dialogue. We favor this option. The use of military option will have fallout." Endi