Pakistan welcomes new round of talks between US and Taliban

Press Trust of India  |  Islamabad 

on Monday welcomed a new round of talks sponsored by it between the and US officials, in the United Arab Emirates, in an attempt to end the bloodshed in neighbouring war-torn

He also said along-with the international community and other stake-holders was committed to peace and reconciliation in to end the 17-year war.

"Along with international community and other stake-holders, Pakistan is committed to peace and reconciliation in Talks are being held in the UAE. We hope this will end bloodshed in Afghanistan and bring peace to the region," Faisal tweeted.

The on Monday said that they were holding "another" meeting with US officials in the UAE, which also include representatives of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the UAE.

According to diplomatic sources, Pakistan had helped in arranging the direct talks between the US and Taliban, creating a ray of hope for end of conflict, after US wrote a letter to Imran Khan, earlier this month, formally seeking Islamabad's help in arranging the talks with

US Zalmay Khalilzad, reportedly, already held two rounds of talks with Taliban leaders in

This is the second time that Pakistan has arranged direct talks between the US and Taliban representatives after a similar initiative fell apart after an open meeting in 2015 at the hill resort of Murree, near

Khan, after taking office in August, had made it clear that Pakistan wanted to establish peaceful ties with all its neighbours.

Trump had earlier this year accused Pakistan of doing nothing despite take billions of dollars from the US. had also suspended millions of dollars in military aid to

In one of the America's longest war, the US has spent over USD 1 trillion in Afghanistan since the coalition forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, December 17 2018. 16:25 IST