India to join UN Af meet in Istanbul from Apr 24

United Nations, April 14: The United Nations, Turkey and Qatar are co-convening a highlevel “inclusive conference” this month between the representatives of Afghanistan and the Taliban, aimed at accelerating the ongoing intra-Afghan negotiations.

Turkey will host the Istanbul Conference on Afghanistan Peace Process in Istanbul from April 24 to May 4, the UN said Tuesday. India is among the 20-plus nations invited for the talks. The others include the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Germany and Japan. EU and Nato representatives will also attend.

The announcement comes on a day when US officials said President Joe Biden has set the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks as the new deadline for American troops to leave Afghanistan.

In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement under which the militant group agreed to halt attacks and hold peace talks with the Afghan government, with US troops to leave by May 1, 2021. That will now be delayed by four months.