US envoy embarks on multi-nation tour to facilitate intra-Afghan political settlement

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, left Tuesday for a four-country tour to facilitate an intra-Afghan political settlement, Afghan media reported.

Leading an interagency delegation, Khalilzad will travel to India, China, Afghanistan and Pakistan from January 8-21, the US State Department said in a statement.

The US supports the desire of the Afghan people and the international community for a political settlement that ends the 40-year conflict and ensures Afghanistan never again serves as a platform for international terrorism, the statement said.

He will meet with Afghan government officials and other interested parties to support and facilitate an inclusive peace process in Afghanistan, empowering the Afghan people to chart a shared course for their nation’s future, according the statement.

Khalilzad continues to coordinate his efforts with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, and other Afghan stakeholders to ensure an intra-Afghan peace process, the statement said.

This is Khalilzad’s fourth tour to the region after taking over the role special envoy for Afghan peace in September last year.

During the tours, the envoy has met with the Taliban with the last round of talks held in UAE in December.

The Taliban, however, have refused to hold talks with the Afghan government.

The Taliban had been expecting to open their next round of talks with US in Qatar this week, but it was called off with US envoy to Afghanistan, John Bass, saying that “Taliban should talk to fellow Afghans as much as they talk to media.”

“The US goal is to promote dialogue among Afghans about how to end the conflict, and to encourage the parties to come together at the negotiating table to reach a political settlement where every Afghan citizen enjoys equal rights and responsibilities under the rule of law,” US State Department statement said.

During his last trip in December, Special Representative Khalilzad reiterated that the only solution to the conflict is for all parties to sit together and reach an agreement on the political future of Afghanistan with mutual respect and acceptance, the statement said.