Taliban Calls Off Peace Talks In Qatar With U.S. Officials

KABUL -- Afghan Taliban representatives say they have called off two days of peace talks with U.S. officials in Qatar, just hours after they had announced the talks would take place without any delegates from Afghanistan's government.

A Taliban representative in Afghanistan had told Reuters early on January 8 that the talks would begin in Qatar's capital, Doha, on January 9.

That Taliban figure also had said the group was refusing to allow what he called "puppet" Afghan officials to take part in the Doha meetings.

But a Taliban representative in Doha told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan later on January 8 that the militant Islamic group had "postponed" the talks "until further consultations" could resolve an "agenda disagreement."

Another Taliban source told Reuters the disagreement focused on Washington's insistence that Afghan government officials must be involved in the talks.

He said there also was disagreement on a possible cease-fire deal and a proposed prisoner exchange.

"The U.S. officials insisted that the Taliban should meet the Afghan authorities in Qatar and both sides were in disagreement over declaring a cease-fire in 2019," he said. "Both sides have agreed to not meet in Qatar."

The Taliban has consistently rejected requests from regional powers to allow Afghan government officials to take part in peace talks, insisting that the United States is its main adversary in Afghanistan.

The talks in Doha this week would have been the fourth in a series between Taliban leaders and U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

The Taliban also called off a meeting with U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia earlier this week because of Riyadh's insistence on bringing the Western-backed Afghan government to the negotiating table.

Former Afghan Interior Minister Omar Daudzai, a senior adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, was traveling to Pakistan on January 8 for expected talks with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi about the peace process.

With additional reporting by Reuters and BBC