KABUL, Afghanistan — Senior Afghan politicians, including former President Hamid Karzai, are expected to meet with Taliban representatives in Moscow on Tuesday, weeks after the insurgents and American diplomats announced progress toward an end to the long war. But the two-day gathering, which will be the insurgents’ most significant contact with Afghan politicians in years, has drawn strong criticism from the government of President Ashraf Ghani, who sees such initiatives — at a time when the Taliban seem ready to meet with anyone but his own government — as undermining the fragile Afghan state. The talks, which Mr. Karzai and the other politicians say could build trust and clarify how the Taliban see their future political role, come at a delicate time. Besides Mr. Karzai, who made no real progress on peace talks with the Taliban during his 13-year presidency, the Afghan delegation includes about three dozen former officials, representatives of political parties and members of Parliament. There are only three women in the group, according to a list of participants that circulated on social media before the trip began.

Source: New York Times February 05, 2019 04:30 UTC