Taliban renew commitment to dialogue with US

The two sides are poised to resume negotiations in Doha today (Saturday) after a two-day pause that gave them an opportunity to consult their respective leaders.
Suhail Shaheen, speaking for Taliban’s Qatar-based office, said in an interview that neither a cease-fire nor intra-Afghan dialogue were on the agenda at this stage.
He told VOA: “There is a steady progress. ... But the talks are not completed. The talks will continue until we reach a conclusion.”
Since both sides had failed to achieve their foals militarily in the past two decades, he said the Taliban stayed committed to the dialogue process with the US.
 Shaheen remarked: “The only solution is through peaceful diplomatic means. An agreement through peaceful means would be better for both sides...”
He sought to assuage concerns that a complete pullout of foreign forces without a solid political reconciliation process in place would worsen the security crisis in Afghanistan.
Averse to a repetition of the chaotic situation of the 1990s, the spokesman said, the Taliban had already launched talks with opposition politicians during a recent meeting in Moscow.