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Russia in Favor of Interim Setup in Afghanistan: Official

Russia is in favor of Afghanistan forming an interim government including members of the Taliban as new meetings are expected to be held on the Afghan peace process in Turkey and in Moscow, Russian media reported on Friday.

“The formation of an interim inclusive administration would be a logical solution to the problem of integrating the Taliban into the peaceful political life of Afghanistan,” Russia’s WioNews reported quoting Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Zakharova however added that the decision should be made “by the Afghans themselves and should be resolved during negotiations on national reconciliation.”

This comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said that talks on Afghanistan planned in Moscow this month aim to help peace talks in Doha and are not rival processes.

Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Doha with his Qatari and Turkish counterparts.

Russia has said it plans to hold a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on March 18.

Meanwhile, Russian envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that all the participants invited to attend a meeting in Moscow on the Afghan peace process next week have confirmed their attendance.

This comes as former president Hamid Karzai in an interview with the Associated Press said that the US draft for a deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban is the best chance to accelerate stalled peace talks between the country’s warring sides.

Karzai said that Afghans themselves “are in a hurry for peace.”

“Peace is such a deep, deep, deeply desired wish of the Afghan people,” said Karzai as quoted by the Associated Press. “You can’t imagine how much of a hurry we are in to reach peace for us and for our younger ones.”

Despite that the US has shared a proposed draft for Afghan peace, Ned Price, a spokesman for the US Department of State said that “we’ve never sought to be prescriptive.”

“We believe that is an essential component to a just and durable peace. We recognize that for any peace to be durable, it must be just, and for any peace to be just, in many ways, it must be durable. So that’s why we’ve never sought to be prescriptive,” he said.

Referring to the meeting, an opinion piece by Washington Post reads that “first, the United Nations is expected to convene a quick meeting of foreign ministers — probably from the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and Iran” and that “this group would give its blessing to cease-fire negotiations and political transition talks between the Afghan parties.”

It also reads that “next would be a round of talks in Moscow, starting March 18, organized by Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy to Afghanistan” and that “he would convene what the Russians call the ‘enlarged troika’ group, which includes Russia, China, the United States, Pakistan and Iran.”

Russia in Favor of Interim Setup in Afghanistan: Official

Russian Foreign Ministry says the decision should be made by Afghans during negotiations.

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Russia is in favor of Afghanistan forming an interim government including members of the Taliban as new meetings are expected to be held on the Afghan peace process in Turkey and in Moscow, Russian media reported on Friday.

“The formation of an interim inclusive administration would be a logical solution to the problem of integrating the Taliban into the peaceful political life of Afghanistan,” Russia’s WioNews reported quoting Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

Zakharova however added that the decision should be made “by the Afghans themselves and should be resolved during negotiations on national reconciliation.”

This comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said that talks on Afghanistan planned in Moscow this month aim to help peace talks in Doha and are not rival processes.

Lavrov was speaking at a news conference in Doha with his Qatari and Turkish counterparts.

Russia has said it plans to hold a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on March 18.

Meanwhile, Russian envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that all the participants invited to attend a meeting in Moscow on the Afghan peace process next week have confirmed their attendance.

This comes as former president Hamid Karzai in an interview with the Associated Press said that the US draft for a deal between the Afghan government and the Taliban is the best chance to accelerate stalled peace talks between the country’s warring sides.

Karzai said that Afghans themselves “are in a hurry for peace.”

“Peace is such a deep, deep, deeply desired wish of the Afghan people,” said Karzai as quoted by the Associated Press. “You can’t imagine how much of a hurry we are in to reach peace for us and for our younger ones.”

Despite that the US has shared a proposed draft for Afghan peace, Ned Price, a spokesman for the US Department of State said that “we’ve never sought to be prescriptive.”

“We believe that is an essential component to a just and durable peace. We recognize that for any peace to be durable, it must be just, and for any peace to be just, in many ways, it must be durable. So that’s why we’ve never sought to be prescriptive,” he said.

Referring to the meeting, an opinion piece by Washington Post reads that “first, the United Nations is expected to convene a quick meeting of foreign ministers — probably from the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, India and Iran” and that “this group would give its blessing to cease-fire negotiations and political transition talks between the Afghan parties.”

It also reads that “next would be a round of talks in Moscow, starting March 18, organized by Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy to Afghanistan” and that “he would convene what the Russians call the ‘enlarged troika’ group, which includes Russia, China, the United States, Pakistan and Iran.”

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