05 May 2017

News Story: Afghan president calls upon Taliban to join peace process

KABUL, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Thursday called upon Taliban militants to give up fighting and initiate peace talks to boost the national reconciliation in the war-battered country.

"I am calling upon Taliban to follow Hekmatyar step and initiate dialogue with government for returning lasting peace in Afghanistan," the president said at a ceremony held in Presidential Palace to welcome Hekmatyar.

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader of Afghanistan's Hizb-e-Islami, or Islamic Party, arrived in Kabul on Thursday, ending decades of exile and fighting against the government to strengthen national reconciliation and peace process in his country.

Hekmatyar's return to Kabul is taking place in the wake of inking a peace agreement with the Afghan government in September 2016 to join Afghan politics.

Read the full story at Xinhua