Zalmay Khalilzad and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar Meet in Qatar

Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special representative, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founders of the Taliban, met and discussed in Qatar on Monday, March 6. This meeting represents the highest-level talks between the two sides regarding the peace process in Afghanistan. Khalilzad tweeted: "Just finished a working lunch with Mullah (Abdul Ghani Baradar) and his associates. This was our first meeting. We will continue negotiations after this." Baradar was released from eight years in prison in Pakistan last October. During this time, he had been in Pakistan and had not appeared in public. Many believe his appointment as the political head of the Taliban is seen as the group's attempt to gain political and diplomatic legitimacy. Earlier on Monday, Khalilzad also tweeted: "I arrived in Doha to meet with a senior Taliban delegation. This could be an important moment." Simultaneously, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson for the Taliban's political office, told the Afghan section of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the U.S. and Taliban delegations had preliminary discussions on Monday, and formal talks would begin on Tuesday. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson for the Taliban, also told the Associated Press: "There is a possibility that we will reach results during these four days of talks." The BBC reported, citing a senior Taliban official without naming him, that Baradar's increased decision-making authority would help "accelerate the peace process." The Taliban, which according to some assessments controls half of Afghanistan's territory, has participated in several direct negotiations with Khalilzad in recent months. However, the group has not yet been willing to negotiate with the Afghan government, which it considers a "foreign puppet." The U.S. and Taliban delegations reached an agreement on the initial framework of a potential peace process during the previous round of talks in Doha in January. According to this agreement, the Taliban must prevent the establishment of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, and in return, the U.S. will withdraw its forces from the country. In 2001, after the Taliban refused to hand over fighters and leaders of al-Qaeda, including Osama bin Laden, who were responsible for terrorist attacks on U.S. cities, the U.S. military and international coalition forces took control of Afghanistan and overthrew the Taliban government.