Afghan President Ashraf Ghani poses for a group photo during a peace and security cooperation conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2018.

Voice of America: Taliban's Silence Prompts Ghani to Repeat Afghan Peace Overture

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban’s persistent silence to a widely praised week-old dialogue offer by the Afghan government prompted President Ashraf Ghani to repeat the overture and call Wednesday for the insurgents to seek resolution of issues without further bloodshed.

Inaugurating the new session of the Afghan parliament, the president assured lawmakers his government will “not back down” from a “comprehensive plan for peace with the Taliban” he unveiled at last week’s international conference in Kabul.

“We call on the Taliban to engage in negotiations in the interest of Islam and Afghanistan so we can resolve our problems and differences without shedding blood and further destruction,” Ghani said.

The peace plan Ghani presented at the February 28 so-called Kabul Process meeting, mentions a cease-fire, offers an office for the Taliban in the national capital, and removal of international sanctions on insurgent leaders who would join the negotiations.

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WNU Editor: It is true that the Taliban did not outright reject Afghan President Ghani's invitation to enter into peace talks .... Taliban Torpedo Afghan President Ghani's Offers To Enter Into Peace Talks (March 1, 2018) .... but it is also true that they did not endorse it. My guess is that the Taliban leadership are having a discussion right now on what should be their options and strategy in regards to these peace talks.