Afghan government to negotiate peace with Taliban

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani formed a 12-strong negotiating team to seek a peace agreement that would include the Taliban in a democratic and inclusive society that respects the rights of women, he told a UN conference on Wednesday.

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani formed a 12-strong negotiating team to seek a peace agreement that would include the Taliban in a democratic and inclusive society that respects the rights of women, he told a UN conference on Wednesday.

“I’m pleased to announce today that after several months of intensive consultation with our citizens across the country, we have formulated a roadmap for peace negotiations,” Ghani said, Reuters reported.

“We have formed the required bodies and mechanisms to pursue a peace agreement. We are now moving ahead into the next chapter of the peace process.”

Afghan leaders and international diplomats attended the UN conference for Afghanistan peace in Geneva on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The conference on Afghanistan, jointly hosted by the Afghan government and the United Nations, is also chance for donors to measure results against the $15.2 billion committed for Afghanistan at the last funding meeting in Brussels in 2016.