Taliban, Afghan delegates at Qatar talks promise ‘to reduce violence’ – German envoy

The Taliban and rival Afghan factions have made a “promise to reduce violence,” following the second and final day of intra-Afghan peace talks in Doha on Monday, according to a German envoy.

“The appeal and promise to reduce violence in Afghanistan” was the most significant part of a joint statement issued at the gathering, AFP quoted Germany’s envoy to Afghanistan Markus Potzel as saying.

A Qatari official has also announced the “success” of the Afghan peace talks there this week, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. “We are very pleased today to reach a joint statement as a first step to peace,” said Mutlaq bin Majid Al Qahtan, Qatar’s special envoy for conflict mediation.

US and Taliban officials were set to resume talks, also in Qatar, on Tuesday, aimed at ending the 18-year war, and just hours after the delegations of Afghan citizens and militants ended their meeting, with both sides calling for an end to civilian casualties, Reuters reports.