Afghan Parties Attending Tehran Talks Reject War, Favor Peaceful Solution
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Afghan delegations representing the Kabul government and the Taliban wrapped up a round of peace negotiations in Tehran with a statement that rejects war as a solution and calls for the political settlement of conflicts in Afghanistan.
The two-day intra-Afghan talks hosted by the Foreign Ministry of Iran ended on Thursday with a 6-clause statement.
The parties attending the talks acknowledged the threats of prolonged war in Afghanistan and the consequent damages to their country.
They also agreed in the statement that war is not a solution to the problems of Afghanistan and called for collective efforts to achieve a political and peaceful solution.
Expressing gratitude to Iran for its efforts to ensure peace in Afghanistan and for hosting the intra-Afghan negotiations, the delegations said they have agreed to hold another meeting in future to discuss the issues that require further consultations, such as developing a mechanism for transition from war to lasting peace and ways to achieve a mutually-agreed Islamic establishment.
Describing the Tehran talks as an opportunity to strengthen a political solution to the Afghan problems, the participants strongly condemned the attacks targeting Afghan people, offices, mosques and hospitals, and called for the punishment of their perpetrators.
The security situation in Afghanistan has been deteriorating in recent months as the US forces have been withdrawing from the country.
The Taliban have been overrunning Afghanistan’s districts in rapid succession, many of them in the north of the country, which is dominated by Afghanistan’s minorities. The north is the traditional stronghold of many former mujahedeen leaders who have been a dominant force in Afghanistan since driving the Taliban from power in 2001.
The Kabul government has launched a “national mobilization” in response.
