Taliban says it’s open to conditional peace talks

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban declared Monday that it was open to peace talks with the Afghan government, but only if all U.S. and other international forces withdraw from Afghanistan and key Taliban figures are removed from a U.N. terrorism blacklist.

The lengthy statement, posted on one of the group’s known websites, came after two days of informal meetings with Afghan government representatives in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, where both sides were swift to clarify that they were not holding peace negotiations. The discussions ended with no agreement except to hold a second meeting in the near future.

The delegates, however, did agree that the Taliban should reopen a political office briefly set up in Qatar in 2013 in a step toward possible peace talks, according to the meeting’s organizer, the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization dedicated to promoting peace. The insurgent group’s statement also reflected that intent.

Bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table, and possibly into the government, has become a cornerstone of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s efforts to end the conflict in his country. Expectations were raised this weekend by the discussions in Qatar, the latest in a series of efforts over the years to jump-start a peace process.

“First of all, America and its allies should put an end to their occupation, and that will facilitate the way to peace talks,” reads the Taliban statement, written in the Pashto language and posted on the Alemara1.org website. “The countries in the region also don’t want the foreign forces. The ongoing occupation means the ongoing fight will continue.”

The Qatar talks come just days after the Taliban launched its spring offensive. Some observers view the ongoing fighting as a strategic move by the group to gain more influence in possible peace negotiations. But the Taliban’s insistence on a complete withdrawal of foreign troops raises questions about whether peace talks are a realistic possibility in upcoming months. On Ghani’s request, President Barack Obama has slowed the drawdown of the roughly 10,000 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Taliban shows no signs of stopping its attacks. On Monday, a suicide bomber in Kabul targeted a bus carrying government workers, killing one person. And late Sunday, Taliban fighters killed at least 18 police officers in the northeastern province of Badakhshan, said Shah Waliullah Adeeb, the province’s governor.