Group adopts roadmap for Afghan peace

Islamabad: A Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) of Afghanistan, China, the United States and Pakistan has adopted a roadmap for a reconciliation process in war-torn Afghanistan, a joint statement said.

The roadmap stipulates “stages and steps” in the process, the QCG said after a meeting and called for early direct peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban groups, the statement said.

The meeting in Islamabad on Saturday was the third of the four-state group since its formation in December on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference.

Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry hosted the meeting. Other delegations were led by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai, US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Ambassador Richard G. Olson and China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Deng Xijun.

The group “explored ways for holding early direct peace talks between the authorised representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban groups,” said the joint statement issued overnight.

The group stressed that “the outcome of the reconciliation process should be a political settlement that results in the cessation of violence, and durable peace in Afghanistan.”

The QCG countries agreed to continue joint efforts for setting a date for direct peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban groups “expected to take place by the end of February,” the statement said.

The group agreed to continue regular meetings to “ensure a smooth way forward in the peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.”

It decided to hold its next meeting in Kabul on February 23.