Afghan government’s negotiating team is in Abu Dhabi for talks with Taliban

According to an Afghan government official, Afghanistan’s negotiating team is in Abu Dhabi for talks with the Taliban, Afghan media reported.

“The negotiating delegation, officially appointed by the government, is in Abu Dhabi,” Mujeeb ar-Rahman Rahimi, a spokesman for chief executive of the National Unity Government said. “We hope that negotiations begin.”

“The regional countries and our international friends are seeking to facilitate talks between the parties. The Afghan government has expressed its readiness to enter into negotiations without any preconditions and that is why the Afghan delegation has gone to Abu Dhabi,” Rahimi said.

The Taliban, however, said that they would not meet with the government’s team. Taliban representatives were due to meet US officials in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib said on Monday that the UAE hosted the fourth round of quadrilateral meetings on Sunday between Afghanistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia and US.

“We discussed President Ghani’s road map for peace talks presented at Geneva and direct engagement of Afghan government with Taliban for intra-Afghan dialogue,” Hamdullah Mohib said on Twitter.