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Afghan-Taliban talks over prisoner swap collapse, threatening to upend U.S. peace deal
Source: Washington Post
Afghan-Taliban talks over prisoner swap collapse, threatening to upend U.S. peace deal
Sharif Hassan and Susannah George, The Washington Post Published 5:06 pm CDT, Tuesday, April 7, 2020
KABUL - The Taliban halted prisoner swap negotiations with the Afghan government Tuesday after accusing leaders in Kabul of refusing to comply with a key part of the U.S. peace deal - a major setback to what many hoped would be start of formal talks between the two Afghan sides.
Representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government were negotiating the release of more than 100 prisoners. The U.S.-Taliban peace deal called for thousands of prisoners to be released within days of its signing, but the Afghan government quickly objected to that timeline, citing logistical constraints.
The release was already weeks behind schedule, and when the two sides finally met in Kabul, negotiators quickly hit a snag. Taliban representatives wanted their senior leaders included in the first round of releases, while the Afghan government balked at releasing anyone who had helped orchestrate large-scale attacks.
The repeated delays to the start of formal talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are threatening to upend the fragile U.S.-Taliban peace deal. Since it was signed in late February, violence in Afghanistan has escalated and a power struggle over the Afghan presidency has deepened.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday dismissed the impasse over the prisoner releases as "posturing" and said the United States expected issues to arise as the two sides move toward formal talks.
-snip-
Sharif Hassan and Susannah George, The Washington Post Published 5:06 pm CDT, Tuesday, April 7, 2020
KABUL - The Taliban halted prisoner swap negotiations with the Afghan government Tuesday after accusing leaders in Kabul of refusing to comply with a key part of the U.S. peace deal - a major setback to what many hoped would be start of formal talks between the two Afghan sides.
Representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government were negotiating the release of more than 100 prisoners. The U.S.-Taliban peace deal called for thousands of prisoners to be released within days of its signing, but the Afghan government quickly objected to that timeline, citing logistical constraints.
The release was already weeks behind schedule, and when the two sides finally met in Kabul, negotiators quickly hit a snag. Taliban representatives wanted their senior leaders included in the first round of releases, while the Afghan government balked at releasing anyone who had helped orchestrate large-scale attacks.
The repeated delays to the start of formal talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government are threatening to upend the fragile U.S.-Taliban peace deal. Since it was signed in late February, violence in Afghanistan has escalated and a power struggle over the Afghan presidency has deepened.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday dismissed the impasse over the prisoner releases as "posturing" and said the United States expected issues to arise as the two sides move toward formal talks.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/article/Afghan-Taliban-talks-over-prisoner-swap-collapse-15185447.php
Alternate link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/afghan-taliban-talks-over-prisoner-swap-collapse-threatening-to-upend-us-peace-deal/2020/04/07/6479f324-738c-11ea-ad9b-254ec99993bc_story.html
