An Afghan man reads the tweets of U.S. President Donald Trump in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 8. 2019. (Photo by Sayed Mominzadah/Xinhua)
A spokesman of the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the only solution to the Afghan conflict lies in a politically negotiated settlement led and owned by the Afghans themselves and a military focused approach has failed to find durable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
ISLAMABAD, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan on Thursday urged the United States and the Taliban to resume negotiations to peacefully resolve the conflict in Afghanistan.
The call came after U.S. President Donald Trump called off peace talks with the Taliban in Qatar when both sides had finalized a draft of the peace agreement.
"We shall continue to monitor the situation and urge all parties to return to the negotiation table to take the progress achieved in the talks, so far, to its logical conclusion," Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal said at weekly press briefing.
Faisal said Pakistan has always maintained that the only solution to the Afghan conflict lies in a politically negotiated settlement led and owned by the Afghans themselves. He added that a military focused approach has failed to render the desired results.
Taliban militants and Islamic State fighters go to a surrender ceremony in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Sept. 4, 2019. (Photo by Emran Waak/Xinhua)
"We remain hopeful that the peace talks between the U.S. and the Afghan Taliban would be resumed at the earliest and process will lead to intra-Afghan negotiations which are imperative for finding durable and sustainable peace in Afghanistan," he said.
He added that Pakistan wants all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from violence.
Trump called off the talks with Taliban and also cancelled a meeting with the Taliban at Camp David, citing a Taliban-claimed attack in Afghan capital Kabul last week that had killed an American soldier.
A Taliban political spokesman said in reported comments that Trump's cancellation of the peace talks was surprising for the Taliban as they and the U.S. negotiators had handed over final draft of the peace agreement to the Qatari officials last week to formally announce the agreement. ■
