◆Taliban-Afghan government Skype call breathes life into peace process
【Kabul】The Taliban and the Afghan government held a "virtual" meeting on prisoner releases on March 22, officials said, offering some hope of a breakthrough on a matter that has deadlocked the two sides and threatened a nascent peace process.
The two sides spoke for over two hours in a Skype meeting facilitated by the United States and Qatar, officials said. "Prisoner releases by both sides is an important step in the peace process, as stated in the US-Taliban agreement," US special representative Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted. "Everyone clearly understands the coronavirus threat makes prisoner releases that much more urgent," he said, adding that "all sides conveyed their strong commitment to a reduction of violence, intra-Afghan negotiations, and a comprehensive and permanent ceasefire".
【News source】