U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao meet with representatives of both sides in the Afghanistan peace talks in Qatar, helping to make positive progress in the talks.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.S. Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Thomas M. Countryman meet in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to discuss the future of the U.S. economy. The U.S. is ready to help the peace talks make positive progress, Pompeo said.
There are indications of progress on the part of the Afghan government toward signing a peace agreement with the Taliban. Pompeo said the U.S. will “sit on the sidelines and help where we can.”
A reporter heard Pompeo tell members of the Afghan government’s negotiating team, “I’m most interested in getting your thoughts on how we can increase the likelihood of a successful outcome, and I know we all want a successful outcome.”
The same day, Pompeo also met with Taliban negotiators in Doha, Qatar, who are participating in peace talks. At the same time, the United States is accelerating the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
Talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban first began in Doha, Qatar, in September of this year. The Taliban signed an agreement with the United States in February of this year. The U.S. agreed to withdraw all foreign troops from Afghanistan in exchange for security guarantees and a commitment to begin negotiations with the Afghan government.
Earlier on Saturday, Pompeo met with UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Doha to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations between the UAE and Israel and countering Iranian influence in the Middle East. In Doha, Pompeo also met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Qatar’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister. The U.S. State Department said the two sides will discuss defense, counterterrorism and economic issues.
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