Taliban Still Mulls US Plan, No Date Set for Istanbul Conference

The dates and the agenda for the Turkey conference, which many consider to be a significant event for Afghanistan’s future, have not been finalized, but it is expected that the summit will be held in early April.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reiterated that there has to be “some kind of political settlement in Afghanistan” and that it should be done by Afghans themselves.

“It was also very important to try to accelerate the diplomacy because ultimately everyone recognizes that there is no military solution to Afghanistan,” Blinken said in an interview with CNN.

Blinken noted that the event will be held in the upcoming weeks.

He said that the US and NATO have been clear on their approach towards Afghanistan.

“We went in together, we’ve adapted to circumstances together and we will come out together when the time is right,” he said.

“One of the things that was important was not only to share our thinking as we’re going through this review, including the May 1 deadline but to listen, to hear from our partners who are so invested: their ideas, their thoughts, their analysis,” Blinken said.

A Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem said the group is still reviewing a US-proposed peace plan and that they want to reach an acceptable and practical result in this respect.

“Our discussions are underway so that there is an acceptable and practical outcome,” Naeem said.

The Afghan parliament speaker Mir Rahman Rahmani was in Turkey last week and met with his Turkish counterpart, emphasizing the importance of the meeting for Afghanistan.

“We discussed the high level of violence, targeted attacks, the intra-Afghan peace negotiations and efforts for a political settlement,” Rahmani said.

“Why are women not present in the negotiations and the meetings that are held?” asked Aziza Jalis, an MP.