US says preparing to sign deal with Taliban on February 29

Head of Political Office of Taliban Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai (R) and chief negotiator Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (L) attend peace talks with Afghan senior politicians in Moscow, Russia May 30, 2019. (Reuters/ File Photo)

• A week-long "reduction in violence" period will start in Afghanistan today, Afghan official says
• Pompeo says intra-Afghan negotiations would begin shortly after the February 29 signing in Doha

RIYADH: The United States is preparing to sign a deal with the Taliban on February 29, building on an agreement on reducing violence across Afghanistan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday.
“Upon successful implementation of this understanding, signing of the US-Taliban agreement is expected to move forward,” he said in a statement released after visiting Saudi Arabia.
A week-long “reduction in violence” between the Taliban, the US and Afghan security forces will commence shortly, Afghanistan’s National Security Council spokesman Javed Faisal told AFP on Friday.
The partial truce will mark a historic step in more than 18 years of grueling conflict in Afghanistan and would pave the way for a deal that could, ultimately, see the war end.
Pompeo said that intra-Afghan negotiations would begin shortly after the February 29 signing, expected to take place in the Qatari capital Doha.
They will “build on this fundamental step to deliver a comprehensive and permanent cease-fire and the future political roadmap for Afghanistan,” he said.
The US top diplomat said that challenges remain, but that progress made so far “provides hope and represents a real opportunity. The United States calls on all Afghans to seize this moment.”