Taliban, Afghanistan agree to continue peace talks

Islamabad: Afghan officials and Taliban representatives have agreed to "continue talks to create an environment conducive for peace and reconciliation process", authorities said on Wednesday.

In a first official face-to-face discussion, hosted by Pakistan in Murree, a hill resort near Islamabad, the peace talks between officials of the Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Programme and Taliban representatives ended on Wednesday morning.

"The next meeting would be held at a mutually convenient date after Ramadan," Xinhua quoted a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman as saying.

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai led a four-member delegation that included representatives of the High Peace Council and advisers to the Afghan president, the chief executive.

A three-member Taliban team took part in the talks. All sides are silent over the names and positions of the Taliban participants.

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in Oslo, lauded the peace talks and said the talks were a "major breakthrough".

"...we should make sure that nobody tries to derail this process as it is not only the obligation of Afghanistan, Pakistan and other parties, but also the obligation of international community," he added.

The representatives of China and the US also participated in the meeting, the foreign ministry said.

"We also thank other partners in peace, including the United Nations, for their contribution to peace, stability and development of Afghanistan," the foreign ministry added.