President Ashraf Ghani met with Abdullah Abdullah, head of the Reconciliation Council, on Sunday at the Presidential Palace to address the next round of the peace talks, the Palace said in a statement. 

Ghani and Abdullah have discussed the second meeting of the leadership of the council and issues concerning the venue and time of the next round of the peace talks, it said.

Abdullah said that they concluded the joint meeting between the leadership committee of the council with the Republic's negotiation team on Sunday.

He said the committee reiterated its full support for the Republic's negotiation team and decided on clear guidelines for the team for the next round of talks.

Abdullah added that the leadership committee decided that the next round of peace talks will take place in Doha, Qatar.

Next round of talks 

On Saturday, the leadership committee of the High Council for National Reconciliation held their second meeting led by Abdullah Abdullah, head of the council, with a focus on ways forward in the peace negotiations. 

The first part of the meeting was held in the presence of the media, but the second part was held behind closed doors. 

The meeting comes after the negotiators in Doha agreed on the procedural rules of the talks and paused the negotiations for 23 days to consult with their respective leaders on both sides, particulary in regard to the agenda of the negotiations. 

Abdullah Abdullah said in the meeting that the negotiations will resume on January 5, 2021, and the venue for the talks should not be an obstacle. 

“The people of Afghanistan are determined to support and welcome the peace process. We and the people of Afghanistan are supporting the Islamic Republic’s negotiation team, and we are looking forward to positive outcomes in the second phase,” he said. 

Abdullah said that the negotiating team will report to the High Council for National Reconciliation and to the Leadership Committee of the council. 
The first meeting of the reconciliation council was held on December 5.