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No specific date fixed for resumption of talks with US: Taliban political office spokesperson tells WION

WION Web Team
New Delhi, India Written By: Anas MallickUpdated: Dec 05, 2019, 03:50 PM IST

Former US Special Representative for Peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (File photo) Photograph:(Reuters)

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The US state department said that Khalilzad will be flying to Qatar to meet Taliban negotiators after visit to Kabul on Wednesday. 

In a conversation with WION, Suhail Shaheen, spokesperson of Taliban political office, said that no "specific date is fixed for resumption of talks with the US". Shaheen's statement comes in the backdrop of US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad's visit to Afghanistan.

Khalilzad arrived in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on Wednesday to discuss ways to end the war in Afghanistan and discuss ceasefire and peace deal with President Ashraf Ghani.

The US state department said that Khalilzad will be flying to Qatar to meet Taliban negotiators, news agency Reuters reported.

"The two sides will rejoin the discussion on how to reduce violence," said a State Department spokeswoman.

Shaheen told WION's Anas Mallick that their position on the agreement remains the same. 

"The agreement is already in place and finalised. Both the sides have talked about and finalized it in the ninth rounds of talks and had also finalised the mechanism of its implementation. We stand by the agreement," Shaheen said adding that talks are expected to resume next week but no specific date has been decided yet.