The next round of negotiations between the Afghan government and Taliban are set to start in Doha on Tuesday, returning to the effort to establish an agenda for the deeper portions of the peace negotiations to come.
The two sides made some agreements up to the point of the agenda in December, but then chose to take a break for consultations. The expectation is that both sides will prioritize a ceasefire as one of the first things on return.
US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad says the US hope is that the talks will lead to “tangible progress.” The ceasefire certainly fits the bill. Khalilzad said both sides need to be willing to make compromises to get that done.
The Taliban has offered a series of proposals for the agenda, and Afghan leaders are calling for more transparency on their part. It is not clear what the big obstacles will be for this round, and there is plenty of mistrust on both sides with the fighting having continued through the latest pause in talks.
VOA–
US Blames Taliban for Plotting Afghan Assassinations
The US conducts “airstrikes” (bombs dropping on civilians) while the Taliban “plots assassinations.” Smacks of “newspeak” from 1984. Newspeak — ambiguous euphemistic language used chiefly in political propaganda.
And plotting assassinations? Not a problem. They were outlawed by President Reagan, but under Trump they are okay, as in last January’s US assassination of two leading military figures of Iran and Iraq.
Executive Order 12333 of Dec. 4, 1981–
Part 2, 2.11 Prohibition on Assassination. No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.. . .here.