Afghan Taliban delegation to visit Moscow as peace push grows
A Taliban delegation led by the movement’s chief negotiator
will visit Moscow this week to attend a ceremony expected to be followed by
informal talks with senior Afghan politicians on the peace process, officials
said on Monday.
The potential meeting comes during increased diplomatic
efforts to revive stalled talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government,
following the failure of a planned get-together in the Qatari capital Doha last
month.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the 14-strong
delegation, led by Mullah Baradar Akhund, will attend a ceremony on Tuesday
marking the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and
Afghanistan.
The delegation would also meet Afghan politicians and elders
on the following day to discuss the future of the country, he said, without
giving details.
It was unclear what Afghan officials will be present but
former president Hamid Karzai is traveling to Moscow along with officials from
his office, a spokesman said.
A spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry said the Afghan
ambassador in Moscow would attend the ceremony but it was unclear whether he
would meet the Taliban delegation.
The Taliban have been talking with US diplomats for several
months and have reached broad agreement on the withdrawal of international
troops from Afghanistan.
But they have so far refused to talk to the Western-backed
government in Kabul which they consider a foreign imposed “puppet” regime.
To prepare the way for possible future peace negotiations,
other countries have been trying to facilitate informal talks between the
Taliban and representatives of civil society and state institutions.