Taliban dissatisfied with composition of Afghan delegation for Beijing talks: Russia

Zamir Kabulov, Russian president’s special representative on Afghanistan, said that the date for holding the meeting has not been determined yet.
“It is a question for the Chinese,” Kabulov said as quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency. “They’ve stalled everything. [The date] has not been determined yet. The Taliban members are dissatisfied with the composition of the delegation, which the Afghan president [Ashraf Ghani] demands. That is why everything has been frozen.”
The Taliban held talks with the United States for a year before they were halted by President Donald Trump in September.
However, top US negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad has held informal meetings with the group since then.
The Taliban have refused to deal directly with the Afghan government, but have met with Afghan politicians and government officials in personal capacities.
Earlier on Monday, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who attended first intra-Afghan dialogue with Taliban in Moscow, said he wouldn’t participate in Beijing meeting due to Ghani’s opposition.
He said that Ghani had also called for non-participation some other figures, but he objected.
Gran Hewad, Afghan foreign ministry’s spokesman, said on Tuesday that “preparations are in place for finalising the list [of participants].”
“Consultations are ongoing… with politicians, civil society and activists from different groups of society,” Hwad said.