Speaking at a news conference in neighbouring Uzbekistan, Pompeo said a deal is close but that they have been close before and failed because the Taliban was unable to demonstrate its seriousness. He said more work remains to be done so that peace talks can get started. Earlier, the Taliban said they offered Khalilzad a 10-day cease-fire window in which to sign a peace agreement that would be followed by intra-Afghan negotiations. He has held multiple rounds of talks with the Taliban in the Mideastern state of Qatar where the militant group maintains a political office. Until now the Taliban have refused to talk to Afghan President Ghani’s government.

Source: thestar February 03, 2020 06:33 UTC