Quadrilateral Afghan peace talks begin in Islamabad

General Anthony Rock, the top United States defense representative in Pakistan, Richard Olson, the US’ special envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan and China’s special envoy for Afghan affairs, Deng Xijun, were present in the meeting.

Sartaj Aziz, who is Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s foreign policy adviser, addressed the opening session.

No Taliban representative attended the first meeting, which was limited to discussing means of – and setting terms for – the resumption of stalled peace talks.

Announced in December the talks in Islamabad come as the Taliban’s insurgency intensifies, testing the capacity of Afghanistan’s overstretched military and placing pressure on Pakistan to rein in its one-time proxies.

“We have a very clear-cut stance about peace talks: all the foreign occupying forces would need to be withdrawn”, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, Rasool’s deputy, told Reuters on Monday.

Pakistani officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

He said we are looking forward to the mega China-Pakistan-Economic Corridor (CPEC) to become the catalyst for trans-regional commerce, trade, industry and investment flows.

Observers suggest the divide within the Taliban, as well as the emergence of Islamic State forces in Afghanistan who are fighting against the Taliban, is making the job for negotiators that much more hard.

The process is a significant window of opportunity for all stakeholders to work jointly to encourage the Taliban to come to the negotiation table.

Faisal said Pakistan has agreed to cut off financial support to Taliban fighters based in Pakistani cities, TOLONews reports.

“All of the surrounding circumstances of the next round of negotiations don’t seem to be particularly favorable, as far as I can see”, said Hans-Jakob Schindler, a Taliban expert on the United Nations team monitoring sanctions against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Aziz said the Islamabad meeting has been given the task of defining the overall direction of the Afghan reconciliation process, along with setting its goals and targets aimed at creating a conducive environment for holding direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban groups.

Pakistan was among the three countries that officially recognized the Taliban’s 1996-2001 regime, and Kabul has long accused Islamabad of continuing to covertly back the group.

Mansour’s installation as the head of the Taliban coincided with the collapse of the peace talks during the summer, after it was revealed Taliban founder Mullah Omar had died in hospital 2-years earlier.

Officials said that insurgents were just playing to the gallery as they publically do not endorse talks with the government.

Analysts have cautioned that despite the rapprochement between Kabul and Islamabad, any substantive peace talks are months off.

Afghanistan has said the aim is to work out a road map for peace negotiations and a way of assessing if they remain on track.