The Taliban had agreed to a session for the two sides to get to know one another. They insisted that government officials attend only in their own personal capacity, but Mr. Ghani’s government pushed to have them attend as government representatives. Afghan officials say Mr. Ghani is troubled by being frozen out of the negotiations as important agreements are being structured. The talks come in the middle of a fierce presidential campaign, with some of Mr. Ghani’s rivals proposing an interim government. In the meantime, Mr. Ghani on Monday convened a traditional grand council assembly, known as a loya jirga, to discuss peace for Afghanistan.

Source: International New York Times May 01, 2019 08:37 UTC