Brussels. August 10. INTERFAX-Despite the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, a peace agreement between the Afghan parties has not been reached, a senior EU official told reporters in Brussels on condition of anonymity on Tuesday.
"It is necessary that there is complete clarity on this issue. The Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation - IF) did not keep its promises to seriously engage in reaching a peace agreement - a political agreement that allows making transitional arrangements before holding elections that would lead to the appointment of a legitimate government in Afghanistan," the European source said.
"On behalf of the European Union, we have always called for the implementation of such a political agreement under the leadership of the Afghans themselves. And this is one of the conditions that we put forward in the foreground and which was also reflected in the conclusions of the Geneva conference in November 2020," the source continued.
He noted that in recent months, the European Union has become an active observer of the negotiation process in Doha with the presence of the EU Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas Nicholson, who holds meetings with regional players.
"Not only the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, but also key regional partners-Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan - are also involved in these discussions," the source said.
"We fervently hope - and this intention was stated by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Borrel-that it will be possible to create political momentum and achieve awareness of political urgency thanks to the various regional players who are neighboring Afghanistan or have been active over the past twenty years in development assistance or in the presence of their troops, in order to reach this agreement, establish a peace process capable of preserving and protecting the achievements of the last twenty years, ensure peace in Afghanistan and allow all interested parties to be involved in an inclusive manner," the EU official explained.
He clarified that the Taliban have never stated their unwillingness to such an agreement, but have put forward a number of preconditions. Diplomatic efforts have been launched, and Qatar, as well as the UN with its Special Representative Jean Arnault, are striving to be as constructive as possible in contacts with them.
Assessing the military situation in the country, the interlocutor of the journalists called it sad. According to him, the zones controlled by the Taliban make up about 65% of the country's territory. The government still holds 65 districts. The Taliban control 230 districts. The remaining districts are disputed.
After the withdrawal of American troops, since the beginning of May, the Taliban have captured 150 districts and in the last few days have taken control of 6 of the 34 centers of the Afghan provinces. Another 11 such centers are currently under the direct threat of the Taliban.
