US envoy to visit Afghanistan this week to facilitate peace process

The US State Department on Saturday said that Zalmay Khalilzad, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, will travel to Afghanistan this week to facilitate the Afghan peace process with an aim to end the 18-years long war in the country. State Department, in a statement, said, "Khalilzad will travel to Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from May 31 to June 16, as part of an overall effort to facilitate a peace process that ends the conflict in Afghanistan."

"In Kabul, Special Representative Khalilzad will consult with the Afghan government and other Afghans, including representatives of civil society and women's rights groups, to encourage all parties to work towards intra-Afghan negotiations that lead to a final peace settlement," the statement added. Meanwhile, in Brussels, Berlin, Islamabad, and Abu Dhabi, the envoy will "work to build international support for the Afghan peace process and endeavour to ensure that any peace settlement reached will be sustainable".

"In Doha, he will continue talks with the Taliban to move the peace process forward," the Department further said. The visit comes after the Taliban and a delegation of Kabul government held talks in Moscow last week over the Afghan peace process. The Taliban said that a "decent progress" was made, but no breakthrough was achieved.

The Taliban delegation, led by chief negotiator Mullah Baradar Akhund, further noted that international forces must leave Afghanistan for peace to be agreed.

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