US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke by phone with the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani over the peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban, in a released statement the US State Department said.

Pompeo called for an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue to be convened in the Qatari capital of Doha “as soon as possible,” the statement added.

The Secretary and President Ghani agreed that the Doha conference presents an important opportunity to advance peace, according to the statement.

The Secretary encouraged all sides to seize the moment and reach an understanding on participants so that an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue can be convened in Doha as soon as possible, the statement further added.

The Secretary also condemned the Taliban’s recent announcement of a spring offensive and underscored the United States’ solidarity with the Afghan people’s pursuit of a comprehensive peace agreement that would end the suffering and destruction.

Arezo news website – Humayun Salimi