Ghani, Khalilzad discuss ‘Grand Jirga’ on peace

The United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad met with President Ashraf Ghani on the sidelines of Munich Security Conference [2019] on Friday where they discussed recent developments on peace in the region as well as the consultative Loya Jirga, a traditional assembly, suggested by the Afghan president at a gathering in Kabul on Feb. 11. “We discussed next steps on consultative Loya Jirga and the urgent necessity of an intra-Afghan dialogue, as well as key regional developments. We are united in our pursuit of #peace,” Khalilzad tweeted on Feb. 14.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Palace said in a statement that President Ghani and Mr. Khalilzad discussed next steps in the peace process, including the consultative Loya Jirga aimed at reestablishing consensus among Afghans on the peace process.

Ambassador Khalilzad reiterated that the US government is committed to playing a facilitative role in the peace process under the umbrella of the Afghan government, the Presidential Palace said.

The proposed Jirga by President Ghani was welcomed by a number of prominent Afghan politicians, former government officials and heads of political parties.The US special envoy started his fifth trip on Afghan peace on Feb. 10. The US Department of State says he will head an interagency delegation from February 10-28 on visits to Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.