Germany in push to restart Afghan talks with Taliban
Berlin’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan says the chance for a process towards a more peaceful Afghanistan should not be missed
Kabul/Berlin — Germany, a leading donor and member of the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan, has been in talks with the Taliban and the Afghan government in an effort to restart peace talks to end 18 years of conflict, officials said. While the Taliban have been talking with US officials since October 2018 about a withdrawal of international troops, they have so far refused formal talks with the Western-backed government, which they dismiss as a puppet regime. Berlin’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Markus Potzel, has visited Kabul for talks with the Afghan government and met Taliban officials in Doha at least twice in May . “The current chance for a process towards a more peaceful Afghanistan should not be missed. If the friends of Afghanistan — and Germany is one of them — together can help in this effort, then we should do it,” Potzel said. Draft agreement “In the end only the Afghans themselves, including the Taliban, can decide upon the future of their co...
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