Taliba­n reject offer for direct talks with Kabul govern­mentPESHAWAR: The Taliban will not attend planned peace talks with the United States in Saudi Arabia this month, and want to shift the venue to Qatar, Taliban officials said on Sunday, seeking to fend off Riyadh’s push to include the Afghan government in talks. The Taliban want to change the venue for the talks to Qatar, he said, the political headquarters of the group that is fighting to restore strict Islamic law in Afghanistan and the site for earlier talks. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the group has decided to cancel the meeting in Saudi Arabia, but did not provide information about a new meeting venue. Another senior Taliban leader said the group had explained to Saudi Arabia that it was not possible for the Taliban to meet the Afghan government at this stage. Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have intensified since Taliban representatives began meeting with Khalilzad, an Afghan-born, US diplomat last year.

Source: The Express Tribune January 06, 2019 15:22 UTC