U.S. Officials Meet With Taliban Again as Trump Pushes Afghan Peace Process - nytimes

KABUL, Afghanistan — Seeking to inject new energy into the long-stalled Afghan peace process, the top American diplomat charged with helping find a way to end the war has met with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar, according to officials and a Taliban statement on Saturday.

The meeting on Friday between the American diplomat, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban was the second that senior American officials have had with Taliban representatives in Qatar since the White House ordered direct talks this summer in the hopes of jump-starting the peace process. On Saturday, Mr. Khalilzad flew to Kabul to meet with the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani.

The Taliban have long demanded that they meet with Americans directly instead of the Afghan government, which has made Afghan leaders wary of being sidelined. Western diplomats have described the Americans’ direct contact with the Taliban as “talks before talks” that could then grow into negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

“The United States shares the aspirations of all Afghans for a peaceful Afghanistan where all Afghans see themselves included,” Mr. Khalilzad said in a statement, which did not acknowledge the meeting. He did not respond to requests for further comment.

Despite a sense of urgency by the United States, prompted by President Trump’s frustration with the lack of progress in the war, several Afghan officials expressed caution, saying that the conflict was too complicated to yield quick breakthroughs. On Saturday, Mr. Ghani’s office said that it had discussed Mr. Khalilzad’s trips to various countries, but it did not mention a meeting with the Taliban. - Read More

US Officials Meet With Taliban Again as Trump Pushes Afghan Peace ...