Off the wire
• 1st LD-Writethru: Former Party chief of nat'l science association stands trial over bribery  • 10th Congress of Lao People's Revolutionary Party opens in Vientiane  • CPC congratulates Laotian ruling party on convening of national congress  • (Sports)Djokovic, Williams begin Australian Open title defence with easy wins  • Xinjiang to train over 10,000 textile workers in 2016  • China Hushen 300 index futures close mixed Monday  • China treasury bond futures close lower Monday  • Shanghai police arrest 171 in telecom fraud ring  • Urgent: 2nd round of Afghan peace talks opens in Kabul  • Taiwan stocks close up 0.63 pct  
You are here: 　 Home

1st LD Writethru: Afghan gov't urges Taliban to join peace process

Xinhua, January 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

The second round of the four-nation talks, with the participation of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States, opened here on Monday.

The talks are aimed at a roadmap for bringing Taliban to negotiating table with the Afghan government and find political solution to lingering crisis in the militancy-plagued country.

"On behalf of the government and the people of Afghanistan, I am inviting the Taliban to join the peace process and let us solve all differences through negotiations," Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said in his opening remarks.

The first round of the four-nation talks was held in Islamabad last week.

Taliban members who reject the talks and push for war would be isolated, Rabbani warned in his address.

Rabbani also said Afghans are hopeful that participation and involvement of the two major powers, the U.S. and China could take the talks into result-oriented one and eventually led to lasting peace in their war-torn country.

Peace in Afghanistan would benefit Pakistan and the whole region, the Afghan top diplomat said. Enditem