Afghan peace talks resume in Doha

DOHA: Talks between the Taliban and Kabul government to bring peace to Afghanistan resumed in Doha on Wednesday, both sides said, amid surging violence and accusations of slow progress.

Months of deliberations between the two parties have yielded little so far, although an agreement on what to discuss in the next round was viewed as a breakthrough.

In early December, negotiators from both sides decided to take a break after months of often frustrating meetings that were bogged down by disputes on the basic framework of discussions and religious interpretations. "The second round of intra-Afghan talks started this evening during a preparatory meeting," spokesman for the Taliban’s Doha office Mohammad Naeem tweeted on Wednesday.

"In the meeting, it was decided that the teams appointed by the two sides to discuss the agenda topics would begin their work next Saturday to discuss the issues on the agenda."

The Afghan government talks team tweeted a nearly identical statement shortly after the insurgents said it.