Pakistani PM confesses to meeting Taliban leader
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted to meet with Taliban leaders. Khan wanted to meet with the Taliban to "seduce" them so they would negotiate directly with the Afghan government.
"The prime minister wants to hold a meeting with the Taliban," Qureshi said in a statement, as reported by the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday (30/7).
However, Qureshi stressed that Pakistan only functioned as an intermediary and not a guarantor of intra-Afghan peace talks. Qureshi hoped that Afghanistan or other parties would not overly impose this on Pakistan.
"Pakistan is moving forward in good faith. However, Pakistan is not a guarantor, but only a facilitator in the Afghan peace process. All the responsibilities of the Afghan peace process cannot be put in Pakistan. This is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders to advance the peace process," he said.
Meanwhile, the Taliban said they would not hold talks with the Afghan government in the near future. This is a response to a statement made by an Afghan Minister.
Afghanistan's Minister of State for Peace Affairs, Abdul Salam Rahimi, said that direct talks with the Taliban would be held in the next two weeks, in one European country. Rahimi said the government would be represented by a delegation of 15 people.
But Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban political office in Qatar, denied that. He said talks with the Afghan government would only occur after an agreement with the United States (US) regarding troop withdrawals. { Source }
"The prime minister wants to hold a meeting with the Taliban," Qureshi said in a statement, as reported by the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday (30/7).
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| Photo from:sindonews |
However, Qureshi stressed that Pakistan only functioned as an intermediary and not a guarantor of intra-Afghan peace talks. Qureshi hoped that Afghanistan or other parties would not overly impose this on Pakistan.
"Pakistan is moving forward in good faith. However, Pakistan is not a guarantor, but only a facilitator in the Afghan peace process. All the responsibilities of the Afghan peace process cannot be put in Pakistan. This is a shared responsibility of all stakeholders to advance the peace process," he said.
Meanwhile, the Taliban said they would not hold talks with the Afghan government in the near future. This is a response to a statement made by an Afghan Minister.
Afghanistan's Minister of State for Peace Affairs, Abdul Salam Rahimi, said that direct talks with the Taliban would be held in the next two weeks, in one European country. Rahimi said the government would be represented by a delegation of 15 people.
But Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban political office in Qatar, denied that. He said talks with the Afghan government would only occur after an agreement with the United States (US) regarding troop withdrawals. { Source }
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