Afghan President Ghani to host online conferences, seeking ‘global consensus’ on Taliban talks

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani was expected to start pushing on Monday for a global consensus on peace talks with the Taliban. Ghani is hosting three online conferences with representatives of some 20 countries this week, AFP reported.

They aim to “build a consensus” for the peace talks at both a regional and international level, according to the Foreign Ministry in Kabul.

The United States, Russia and the United Nations will take part, officials said. Other participating countries include Pakistan, India, Iran, China, Egypt, and Qatar.

However, just hours ahead of the first online meeting on Monday, Ghani’s spokesman slammed the Taliban for an uptick in violence in recent weeks. “There is no obstacle on our side for the peace process, but we see that the Taliban are not serious,” Sediq Sediqqi told reporters.