Pakistan, Afghanistan, US Consider Safe Passage for Taliban Peace Talks
Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States said they would explore ways to arrange safe passage for Afghan Taliban militants who wish to engage in peace talks, officials from the three countries said on Friday.
While not yet making an iron-clad guarantee, officials told a news conference in Islamabad they would form a group of experts to consider the proposal.
“We need to be able to find them, those who are willing to talk wherever they are,” Afghan deputy foreign minister Jawed Luddin said. “We need to provide a safe passage and an environment where they feel safe and confident that they can engage in peace talks without any consequence.”
“We really welcome this initiative of the safe passage, which will mean our experts can meet and take this process further,” Luddin added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Jilani said the formation of the group exploring safe passage was a tangible accomplishment.