(Bloomberg) -- A 50-member delegation of Afghan elites is headed to Qatar for peace talks starting on Sunday with Taliban leaders, adding to signs that an end to the 18-year-long conflict could be within reach.
The two-day summit facilitated by Germany and Qatar will be a “historic opportunity for all of them to bridge trust deficit, which will help pave the way for direct peace negotiations between Afghan government and the Taliban,” said Asadullah Zaeri, a spokesman of the country's High Peace Council. The delegation includes politicians, top members of the council, representatives of women groups and senior journalists, he added.
The Afghan meeting comes as the U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who's already holding talks with the Taliban, is nearing an agreement over a timeframe for the U.S. and NATO troops withdrawal from the country in exchange for counter-terrorism assurances, a pledge by militants to begin direct talks with the government and a ceasefire. It's expected the two sides will announce a draft deal before or during the Doha summit.
A similar meeting collapsed in April at the last minute due to disagreements over the list of participants. Both sides had already held two rounds of separate meetings and exchanged views on peace in Moscow. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had protested the Moscow meetings saying they lacked government representatives.
Earlier: Fresh U.S.-Taliban Talks Move Afghanistan Closer to Peace Deal
The Taliban has repeatedly rebuffed Ghani's call for direct peace negotiations and has called his government illegitimate and a U.S. puppet. The Afghan delegation will attend in Doha talks tomorrow in a personal capacity, not representing Ghani's government, Zaeri said.
The peace talks have taken on greater urgency as Afghanistan heads for presidential elections on September 28 and the Taliban have increased attacks across the country. Ghani, who's seeking re-election, and the U.S. are hoping to have a peace deal with the group before the poll.
The Taliban that controls or contests half the country detonated an explosive-laden vehicle next to a facility of the Ministry of Defense, killing or wounding more than 100 in the capital Kabul on July 1, two days after beginning peace talks with the U.S.
--With assistance from Patrick Henry.
To contact the reporter on this story: Eltaf Najafizada in Kabul at enajafizada1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Nikos Chrysoloras
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