Afghan government, Taliban set to resume peace negotiations in January

Afghan officials say peace talks between the government and the Taliban militant group are set to resume in early January as the two sides take a break after reaching a preliminary agreement to end the conflict.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Afghan official in charge of overseeing diplomatic communications with the Taliban made the announcement on Monday, saying, “We're taking a break for now and will be ready to discuss the agenda when talks resume.”

Negotiators from both sides also announced a pause in the talks until January 5.

Moreover, members of the Afghan government delegation said they would travel back to Kabul from the Qatari capital of Doha, where the Taliban have their political office.  

The preliminary deal sets out procedural ground rules for further talks revolving around settling disputes.

The deal was the first written agreement between the two warring sides since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Afghan government, Taliban reach ‘preliminary’ deal on rules for peace talks

‘The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalized and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda,’ said a member of the government

Representatives from the government and those from the Taliban held the first round of the much-awaited intra-Afghan negotiations in the Qatari capital on September 12.

The intra-Afghan talks were set to take place in March, but were repeatedly delayed over a prisoner exchange agreement made as part of a deal between the Taliban and the United States, done in Doha on February 29.

Under the deal, the Taliban agreed to halt their attacks on international forces in return for the US military’s phased withdrawal from Afghanistan and the prisoner exchange with Kabul.

Next round of talks should be held in Afghanistan: Ghani

In a related development on Monday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani threw his weight behind calls to move the peace talks from Qatar, and said the next round of negotiations between the Taliban and the government should be held at home.

"We would prefer the second round of peace talks to take place inside Afghanistan," Ghani's spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, quoted the Afghan president as saying in a cabinet meeting.

"The Afghan government is prepared to negotiate anywhere inside Afghanistan... under a tent or out in the cold. It is not appropriate to insist on holding talks in luxurious hotels. It is necessary that the people see how the talks happen, which issues are focused on and why."

Officials at Afghanistan's National Security Council have also called for talks to be moved home, adding that the government does not have any issue with any venue that is selected by the Taliban. 

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