Officials say that after a decade of war, the U.S. and the Taliban will begin peace talks this week at an office opened by the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.
The talk is aimed to help restart dialogue between the warring nations and emphasize the Taliban's desire for political solutions that would promote justice and end foreign occupation of Afghanistan.
Although the Taliban initiated the peace talks, President Barack Obama warned U.S. officials to maintain realistic expectations, stressing that the peace process would not be quick or easy. Sources say the process could take many years to achieve the end goal and may very well be subject to reversals.
U.S. officials say that during the talks, the United States will remain adamant in its insistence that the Taliban extricate itself from al Qaeda, end violence, and adhere to the Afghan constitution, which includes the protection of women and minorities. This will mark the first meeting the U.S. has had with the Taliban in several years. It is expected to involve agenda-setting, with other meetings to follow in the upcoming weeks to discuss next steps.
Nevertheless, U.S. officials remain guarded against the Taliban's initiation of the meeting. One senior administration official noted, "I wouldn't be looking for early results... The level of trust on both sides is extremely low, as one might expect." He also claimed that the U.S. will "facilitate and encourage" the dialogue, but that "this is a negotiation that will have to be led by the Afghans."
One topic of discussion during the talks will most likely be that of detainee exchanges. For the past four years, the Taliban has allegedly held U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl captive, who is believed to be in Pakistan currently.
President Obama applauded Afghan President Hamid Karzai for his boldness in initiating a step towards peace with the U.S. He also stressed that the U.S. military effort would continue despite this new development in peace efforts. "We don't anticipate this process will be easy or quick but we must pursue it in parallel with our military approach. And we in the meantime remain fully committed to our military efforts to defeat al Qaeda and to support the Afghan national security forces," he said.
Both Obama and U.S. officials know that the road to peace with the Taliban will be a slow and arduous one. "We need to be realistic," said one official. "This is a new development, a potentially significant development. But peace is not at hand."
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