KABUL, Afghanistan — In a potentially groundbreaking move, the Taliban announced on Tuesday they were prepared to take the first step toward peace negotiations with the Afghanistan government after 12 years of war. The announcement was welcomed by the United States.
The announcement came in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where negotiations have been under way for more than two years with a range of international participants to attempt start peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
It would be the first time that the antagonists in the Afghanistan war have undertaken peace negotiations to end a conflict that has encumbered the United States since 2001, when American forces entered the country to rout Al Qaeda.
Mohammed Naim, a Taliban spokesman, said in the televised announcement that its political and military goals “are limited to Afghanistan” and that it did not “wish to harm other countries.”
Senior Obama administration officials in Washington said that the Taliban statement contained two key pledges: that the insurgents believed Afghan soil should not be used to threaten other countries, and that they are committed to finding a peaceful solution to the war in Afghanistan.
“Together, they fulfill the requirement for the Taliban to open a political office in Doha for the purposes of negotiation with the Afghan government,” said a senior administration official.
The Taliban statement also said the office would be used to explain the group’s views to other countries, to meet with representatives of the United Nations, with regional and international organizations and nongovernmental organizations. The Taliban also said they planned to give media statements about the current political situation.
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan referred to the impending opening of the Taliban office earlier in comments at a ceremony celebrating the handover of all responsibility for security by the American-led multinational forces in Afghanistan to the Afghan forces who will now be in the lead nationwide.
While he signaled his acceptance of the office opening in Qatar, he made clear that he wanted the talks moved to Afghanistan as soon as possible. The Taliban have insisted on holding any talks on neutral ground outside both Afghanistan and Pakistan, where much of the Taliban leadership currently lives.
“Peace is the desire of the people of Afghanistan,” said Mr. Karzai at a Kabul news conference after the ceremony. “Peace is a hope that the people of Afghanistan make sacrifices for every day,” he said.
Alissa J. Rubin reported from Kabul, and Matthew Rosenberg from Washington.
The announcement came in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where negotiations have been under way for more than two years with a range of international participants to attempt start peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
It would be the first time that the antagonists in the Afghanistan war have undertaken peace negotiations to end a conflict that has encumbered the United States since 2001, when American forces entered the country to rout Al Qaeda.
Mohammed Naim, a Taliban spokesman, said in the televised announcement that its political and military goals “are limited to Afghanistan” and that it did not “wish to harm other countries.”
Senior Obama administration officials in Washington said that the Taliban statement contained two key pledges: that the insurgents believed Afghan soil should not be used to threaten other countries, and that they are committed to finding a peaceful solution to the war in Afghanistan.
“Together, they fulfill the requirement for the Taliban to open a political office in Doha for the purposes of negotiation with the Afghan government,” said a senior administration official.
The Taliban statement also said the office would be used to explain the group’s views to other countries, to meet with representatives of the United Nations, with regional and international organizations and nongovernmental organizations. The Taliban also said they planned to give media statements about the current political situation.
President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan referred to the impending opening of the Taliban office earlier in comments at a ceremony celebrating the handover of all responsibility for security by the American-led multinational forces in Afghanistan to the Afghan forces who will now be in the lead nationwide.
While he signaled his acceptance of the office opening in Qatar, he made clear that he wanted the talks moved to Afghanistan as soon as possible. The Taliban have insisted on holding any talks on neutral ground outside both Afghanistan and Pakistan, where much of the Taliban leadership currently lives.
“Peace is the desire of the people of Afghanistan,” said Mr. Karzai at a Kabul news conference after the ceremony. “Peace is a hope that the people of Afghanistan make sacrifices for every day,” he said.
Alissa J. Rubin reported from Kabul, and Matthew Rosenberg from Washington.