Afghan nation has a sad history with respect to truth-telling and corruption: Pompeo

Pompeo said this while testifying before a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the State Department budget request.
Asked by a Senator Jeanne Shaheen why do the US believe the Taliban will be honest, Pompeo said that it will be about actions on the ground.
“Trust but verify. It will be about actions on the ground. We understand there is not only a deep level of distrust with the Taliban, there is a deep level of distrust with many of the actors in the Afghan area. It’s a nation that has a sad history with respect to truth-telling and corruption,” Pompeo said.
The diplomat said that Americans have “our eyes wide open.”
“This will need to be an agreement, if we can receive one, that gets reconciliation, that takes down the violence levels, but it’ll be the actions ultimately,” Pompeo said.
The US has held multiple rounds of peace talks with the Taliban and the sides have cited progress on preventing Afghanistan from being used by terrorist groups and troop withdrawal.
The group has, however, yet to talk with the Afghan government.
Pompeo said that the US was working to get the Taliban and the Afghan government in the room together.
“We think we’re closer than we have been at any time in the last decade in achieving that. This will ultimately be a resolution that the Afghan people will have to achieve,” Pompeo said.
On women’s role in peace talks, Pompeo hoped that they will make their voices heard, but he said that they should “demand that of their leaders and not – we’ll do – America, we have always done our part there.”