Afghanistan: Peace Negotiations

Foreign and Commonwealth Office written question – answered at on 1 May 2018.

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Photo of Emily Thornberry Emily Thornberry Shadow Foreign Secretary

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the Afghan Government's progress on securing bilateral peace talks with the Taliban.

Photo of Boris Johnson Boris Johnson Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

We welcome President Ghani's offer for talks with the Taliban without preconditions, as have all key regional and international stakeholders and at the United Nations. We believe that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, and that a political process, owned and led by Afghans, is the only way to a better future for the country. We support the approach to peace taken by the Afghan Government, including the successful meeting of the Kabul Process on 28 February.

The Taliban have yet to respond publicly to President Ghani's offer. It is important that this bold initiative is supported even in the face of violence. The UK - along with all regional and international partners - continue to call upon the Taliban to engage. They must face the fact that continued war is not in the interests of the Afghan people; that the war cannot be won; and that the route to address any grievances is through dialogue rather than violence

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