Taliban open to Istanbul summit but wants to finalise negotiations in Doha

According to the sources, the Taliban has asked to maintain the Doha negotiations, with serious discussions and they want the final outcome to be achieved in Doha, not in Istanbul.

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Doha: Amid the final drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban has agreed to begin substantive talks with the Republic team in Doha in the coming days, which would end the peace process stalemate.

According to Tolo News, the Taliban group plans to attend the Istanbul summit but wants the end negotiations to take place in Doha. The negotiating teams met in Doha on May 14 after a long pause.

Sources familiar with the meeting said the Taliban has asked to maintain the Doha negotiations--with serious discussions-- but they want the final outcome to be achieved in Doha, not in Istanbul.

"I think that this will open the way for an Istanbul conference where the Taliban will attend. They might make the agenda based on who in the Afghan government team will attend, not based on the US agenda," said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander said to Tolo news.

The Republic team said that efforts in Doha and Istanbul will help achieve results in the negotiations, but they stressed that the Taliban`s commitment is key.

"A meeting will be meaningful when the attendees include decision-makers and when there is a commitment for decision making. Only participation of high-ranking leaders can affect the current Doha process," said Fawzia Koofi, member of the negotiating team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, a delegation representing the Taliban led by Shai Abdul Hakim Haqqani has been in Pakistan over the last 20 days discussing with the leadership of the group the details of attending the Istanbul summit and the withdrawal of international troops from Afghanistan.

"Pakistan`s influence on the Taliban and the possible encouragement from Pakistan of course has an impact," said Mohammad Amin Waqad, former deputy head of the High Peace Council, as reported by Tolo news.

President Ashraf Ghani has emphasised the need for a decision on peace by the regional players, and for Europe`s much-needed role to "get Pakistan on board" on the ongoing peace talks with the Taliban.

"Peace will primarily be decided upon regionally, and I believe we are at a crucial moment of rethinking. It is first and foremost a matter of getting Pakistan on board. The US now plays only a minor role. The question of peace or hostility is now in Pakistani hands," Ghani told the German news website, Der Spiegel, in an interview.

Over Pakistan`s influence on the Taliban, Ghani said, "Pakistan operates an organized system of support. The Taliban receive logistics there, their finances are there and recruitment is there."

"The names of the various decision-making bodies of the Taliban are Quetta Shura, Miramshah Shura, and Peshawar Shura - named after the Pakistani cities where they are located. There is a deep relationship with the state," he added.

The negotiations in Doha were stalled after the announcement of a delay in US forces' withdrawal in Afghanistan from the original May 1st deadline.