Khalilzad takes strides towards our peace ambitions: US

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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad has been “hard at work” as the top American diplomat making another round to the Region, the State Department said.

“The fact that Ambassador Khalilzad is in the region shows our commitment to a lasting peace agreement, hoping that we can facilitate the Afghans and the Taliban coming to some sort of lasting peace agreement,” the State department Spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters at her news biweekly conference.

Reiterating that the US does not see a military solution to this outcome Afghanistan, Nauert said: “Ambassador Khalilzad has been hard at work. I think he’s spent more time on an airplane or traveling overseas than he has back in Washington in the past month and a half or so since he’s taken on these duties.”

There has been no change in the US support for its policy of an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process.

Responding to a question, the spokesperson welcomed the recent Russian initiatives in this regard. “That is certainly their right to do so.”

The US government sent a representative simply at the working level, not to participate but just to observe in those discussions, she said.

When asked about the possibility of delay in Afghan elections, she said it is up to the government of Afghanistan. “One of the things that is important to us is we’re committed to the overall electoral process.  If there were to be any changes made to the scheduling, that would entirely be a decision on the part of Afghanistan, one in which we would not interfere,” she said.

“In terms of elections and if they were to make any changes, that would entirely be up to the government of Afghanistan and not the US government,” Nauert said.