KABUL, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani in his speech at Kabul conference on Wednesday offered talks with the Taliban without any preconditions to encourage the hardliner group for dialogue with government to end endemic war in the war-battered country.
The offer made by president includes recognition of Taliban as a political group, ceasefire and release of Taliban prisoners, opening political office for Taliban in Kabul or any other Afghan cities, issuing passport and freedom of travel for the Taliban and reviewing constitution if Taliban wants.
According to local media reports, the offer for peace talks made by president Ghani has been widely welcomed.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has welcomed the Afghan government's renewed call for "unconditional" peace talks with the Taliban and urged all parties involved to engage at earliest time to find negotiated settlement, the newspaper Afghanistan Time reported citing UNAMAS's statement on Thursday.
Delegates from more than 20 countries including Pakistan, China, India, the United States and international agencies attended Kabul conference titled "Kabul Process for Peace and Security Cooperation" aimed at finding negotiated settlement to Afghanistan's lingering crisis opened here on Wednesday.
The participants in a declaration released late Wednesday strongly condemned terrorism, expressed support to Afghan government and reiterated backing to ending Afghan suffering through an inclusive political process as well as military action against terrorists, terrorist sanctuaries and terrorist support infrastructures.
"We reiterate our continued support to the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process and collectively agree that direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban -- without any preconditions and without the threats of violence -- constitute the most viable way to end the ongoing agony of the Afghan people," read the declaration.
The newspaper Daily Afghanistan-e-Ma, in its editorial backed the Kabul conference and said that the offer made by president Ghani could encourage Taliban to chose for dialogue.
However, the Taliban group which has repeatedly rejected the offer for talks with Afghan government and ahead of Kabul conference called upon Washington to enter talks with Taliban, has yet to react to president Ghani's offer for negotiation.
