Why Is The U.S. Still Hopeful That There Can Be Peace Talks With The Taliban?

Afghan National Army (ANA) prepare for an operation against insurgents in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz Reuters

The Nation/AFP: Washington still hopes for talks with Taliban

State department appears to contradict president Trump by calling for diplomatic solution

Washington still hopes to “bring the Taliban to the negotiating table” in Afghanistan, a senior state department official said Tuesday, even though President Donald Trump had ruled out such talks any time soon.

Deputy secretary of state John Sullivan, returning from a trip to Kabul, told the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that all Afghan leaders “reiterated their support for our strategy”, and pledged to create “the conditions that will bring the Taliban to the negotiation table”.

“We hope the Pakistanis will also help to convince the Taliban to enter a peace process,” he said.

Mr Trump had left the door open to negotiations when he presented his Afghanistan strategy in August.

But following January’s Kabul attack that left more than 100 people dead he rejected the notion of peace talks with the militant group.

“We don’t want to talk with the Taliban,” Mr Trump said. “They are killing people left and right, innocent people.”

He added: “There may be a time but it’s going to be a long time.”

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WNU Editor: I have lost count on how many times over the years I have heard that the Taliban are interested and/or will be interested in participating in peace talks .... so here is a list of my blog posts over the past ten years on just this topic alone .... Afghanistan Peace Talks. To summarize .... the ending has always turned out the same. The Taliban have their agenda .... and it does not match with what the Afghan government and its allies want. Bottom line ....there is really no common ground for peace, and as long as Pakistan provides a safe have for the leadership of the Taliban, and as long as the international community supports the Afghan government with money and soldiers .... there is really no motivation for both sides to find common ground.