Four-nation meeting calls for immediate talks between Afghan gov't, Taliban

A quadrilateral meeting on peace in Afghanistan on Monday issued a joint statement, calling for immediate talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

The first meeting of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the United States on Afghan peace and reconciliation process was held in Islamabad weeks after the four nations agreed to jointly work for a political solution to the Afghan problem.

The delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard G. Olsan and Chinese Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun, respectively.

"The participants emphasized the immediate need for direct talks between representatives of the Government of Afghanistan and representatives from Taliban groups in a peace process that aims to preserve Afghanistan's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity," the joint statement said.

The first ever direct talks between the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban were held in Pakistan in early July, but the process was scuttled after the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar was confirmed.

All four countries underscored the importance of bringing an end to the conflict in Afghanistan that continues to inflict violence on the Afghan people and also breeds insecurity throughout the region.

"The discussions focused on undertaking a clear and realistic assessment of the opportunities for peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, anticipated obstacles and measures that would help create conducive environment for commencement of peace talks, with the shared goal of reducing violence and establishing lasting peace in Afghanistan," the statement said.

The meeting adopted terms for the work of the QCG and agreed to continue regular meetings to advance the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan. The group would hold discussion on a roadmap at its next meeting to be held later this month in Kabul, according to the statement.

The group reiterated the commitment of their countries to the realization of objectives expressed during the meetings held on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia Conference in Islamabad in December 2015.

Building on the outcome of December meetings, they considered mutual efforts to facilitate an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process with a view to achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.

Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan's foreign affairs adviser, speaking at the opening session, said, "The primary objective of the reconciliation process is to create conditions to bring the Taliban groups to the negotiation table and offer them incentives that can persuade them to move away from using violence as tool for pursuing political goals."