Afghan government urges Taliban to join peace process

Kabul, Jan 18: The Afghanistan government here on Monday urged the Taliban to join peace process to resolve all issues through negotiations, as the second round of the four-nation talks kicked off.

The talks are aimed at a roadmap for bringing Taliban to negotiating table with the Afghan government and find political solution to lingering crisis in the militancy-plagued country.

"On behalf of the government and the people of Afghanistan, I am inviting the Taliban to join the peace process and let us solve all differences through negotiations," Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani said in his opening remarks at the meeting in which Pakistan, China and the US also participated.

The first round of the four-nation talks was held in Islamabad last week.

Taliban members who reject the talks and push for war would be isolated, Rabbani warned in his address.

Rabbani also said Afghans are hopeful that participation and involvement of the two major powers, the US and China, could take the talks into result-oriented one and eventually led to lasting peace in their war-torn country.

Peace in Afghanistan would benefit Pakistan and the whole region, the Afghan top diplomat said.

IANS