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The New York Times reported on Sunday that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken suggested, in an official letter, that a conference be held in Turkey to reactivate the Afghan peace negotiations, with the aim of reaching a comprehensive agreement. between the government and the Taliban and reduce violence within three months to reach a ceasefire.
The newspaper cited that the US secretary expressed his desire, in his message to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, to receive the latter “leadership urgently”, and the US minister indicated that the administration of President Joe Biden “lost his faith “in the pending negotiations between the two parties.
In the “unusually sharp” message, Blinken asked the Afghan president to “understand the urgency of his tone,” referring to “American discontent with the stubborn stance shown by the Afghan president in pending peace talks.”
Negotiations between the Afghan presidency and the Taliban movement have been postponed since September, after reaching an agreement in February 2020 with US mediation, but many points of disagreement prevented progress towards a permanent solution, including the exchange of prisoners and de-escalation.
Blinken noted in his message that the United States has not yet made a decision on the withdrawal of the 2,500 American soldiers remaining in the country by May 1, and in accordance with the agreement reached last year, and expressed concern about that “The security situation will worsen and the Taliban will seize land. Quickly ”after the possible withdrawal of the United States.
A US source in Washington and an Afghan government official confirmed the authenticity of the message, while the State Department rejected the New York Times’ request for comment, with a spokesperson saying only that “all options are on the table” regarding to the withdrawal of US forces.
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