AFGHANISTAN, US NOT TO TAKE PART IN TALKS LED BY RUSSIA

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW: The US has rejected an invitation to join Russia-led talks on Afghanistan, saying they are unlikely to help bring peace.

In Kabul, two senior government officials said Afghanistan will not attend the peace talks either. The decision could make Moscow reconsider its plan to invite the Taliban to the multinational conference to discuss the future of the country.

Russia said earlier that the Taliban will be joining the September 4 talks in Moscow, along with representatives of several neighbouring countries. If Taliban attends the talks, it will be one of the insurgent group’s biggest diplomatic forays since the 2001 Us-led invasion of Afghanistan.

A state department spokesman said on Wednesday that as a matter of principle, the US supports Afghan-led efforts to advance a peace settlement.

Based on previous Russia-led meetings on Afghanistan, the Moscow talks are “unlikely to yield any progress toward that end,” the spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

The Taliban are refusing to negotiate with the Afghan government despite a cease-fire offer.

“We have decided against attending the Moscow conference,” said a foreign ministry official in Kabul, adding that the government will “hold direct talks” with the Taliban, without the direct involvement of foreign powers.