US ready to support Afghan- led peace process

The United States on Thursday said it supports an Afghan-led peace process and it is now up to the Taliban to take advantage of this offer.

“We have made clear that we are supportive of an Afghan-led reconciliation process. We have worked, as have the Afghans, to make that possible, but the Taliban have to make their own decision whether they want to take advantage of that,” said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland.

She was responding to questions on the latest statement by Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who commented that the Taliban would only negotiate with the US-led coalition in Afghanistan through its recently-created “political office.”

He said the Taliban has set up the political office in order to continue their political struggle.

“This is an Afghan-led process, of Afghans talking to Afghans that we support. So if we get to a point where there are conversations that the Afghans consider might be helpful, we will consider that. But we

are so far from that right now,” added Nuland.

According to the US official, the Taliban themselves broke off talks in March. “So we continue to talk among ourselves in the Core Group to try to make it possible if they change their minds about that and talks are restarted to facilitate those, but it’s Taliban’s choice,” Nuland said.