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| Image: Flickr User - ResoluteSupportMedia |
By Shannon Tiezzi
A four-nation meeting on Monday discussed the possibility of a return to talks with the Afghan Taliban.
The Afghan peace process took a step forward on Monday, with Pakistan hosting four-nation talks trying to create a roadmap for restarting peace negotiations between the Afghan Taliban and the Afghan national government (our own Ankit Panda gave a preview of the talks this weekend). China, along with Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States, makes up the Quadrilateral Coordination Group.
China’s top representative at Monday’s talks was Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs Deng Xijun. Other high-ranking attendees included Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai, Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry, and Richard Olson, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
China’s inclusions in the talks on Monday signals its growing involvement in the Afghan peace process. The four countries represented at the discussion are seen as crucial to ensuring the success of any negotiations with the Taliban, in part because of China’s clout with its “iron brother,” Pakistan. Islamabad’s involvement (not to mention a commitment to depriving the Afghan Taliban of support) is crucial to actually bringing the militant group to the table.
Read the full story at The Diplomat