UN welcomes Afghan talks with the Taliban, urges cease-fire

(Worthy News) – The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday welcoming the start of negotiations between Afghan representatives and the Taliban, encouraging the warring parties to engage in good faith and aim for a permanent cease-fire and political settlement to their 19-year conflict.

The resolution, which also extended the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan into next September, also strongly encourages the parties “to continue pursuing confidence-building measures including additional reductions in violence.”

Germany’s U.N. Ambassador Christoph Heusgen, who drafted the resolution with Indonesia, called the weekend’s start of negotiations in Qatar “a major achievement which we have all been waiting for for many years.” [ Source: Washington Times (Read More…) ]