US, Taliban make 'meaningful progress' in talks - State Department

US, Taliban make
# 13 March 2019 02:05 (UTC +04:00)

The US Department of State said Tuesday that the Taliban had agreed that peace would require agreement on four issues: counter-terrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan dialogue and a ceasefire, ONA reports citing Sputnik.

"The Taliban have agreed that peace will require both sides to fully address four core issues, and they are counterterrorism assurances, troop withdrawal, intra-Afghan dialogue and a comprehensive cease-fire", State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said Tuesday.

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said in a separate statement earlier on Tuesday that Taliban and Afghan officials had agreed "in draft" during the latest round of peace talks on counter-terrorism assurances and a timeline for US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Khalilzad explained that Taliban and Afghan officials would begin intra-Afghan negotiations on a political settlement and a comprehensive ceasefire as soon as the draft agreement on the US withdrawal timeline and counter-terrorism measures is finalized.

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED