People gather at the graves of their relatives to call for ceasefire in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Sept. 14, 2020. Afghans from all walks of life have largely welcomed the opening of intra-Afghan talks in Doha on Saturday but described the talks as "complicated process" and were cautious about the outcome in near future to bring about lasting peace in the war-torn country. (Photo by Rahmatullah Alizadah/Xinhua)
KABUL, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Afghans from all walks of life have largely welcomed the opening of intra-Afghan talks in Doha on Saturday but described the talks as "complicated process" and were cautious about the outcome in near future to bring about lasting peace in the war-torn country.
After years of tough efforts and mediations by peace loving circles and countries to end the war in Afghanistan through negotiation, the negotiating teams of the Taliban and the Afghan government held face-to-face talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar on Saturday morning.
The long-awaited intra-Afghan dialogue opened in Doha at a ceremony attended by senior officials from different countries, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and senior officials from the host country Qatar and regional states.
A 21-member team from the Afghan government is meeting the Taliban delegation with the same strength to find a negotiated solution to Afghanistan's prolonged war.
"The opening ceremony of intra-Afghan talks in Doha today is a golden opportunity and historic day for the people of Afghanistan to get maximum benefit to end the war in the country," Mohammad Shakir Zarbi, political analyst and editor-in-chief of the state-run daily Anis, told Xinhua.
Describing the talks a "complicated process" the analyst maintained, "The start of talks is a welcome step, but convincing the Taliban to accept the values and achievements that the country made over the past 19 years is difficult."
Echoing the notion, another local observer Khan Mohammad Daneshjo told Xinhua, "It is difficult to convince the Taliban group to recognize the government and support women rights, human rights, freedom of press and the progress that Afghanistan has made since the collapse of Taliban reign in late 2001."
However, Daneshjo who is the editor-in-chief of Abadi daily cautiously welcomed the start of the intra-Afghan talks as "golden opportunity," saying "We should be optimistic about the future of the country as the war is not the solution" and the Taliban would finally accept the ceasefire to accelerate peace talks with the government.
Nevertheless, the analyst said "observing ceasefire or reduction of violence by the Taliban" from today could be a test for the honesty of the armed group towards resolving the country's problems through political means.
"I was born in war, has grown in war, still living in war and now I am hopeful to see the success of the talks among Afghans to bring about peace in my country," street vendor Mohammad Ashor told Xinhua. Enditem
