United States (US) Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, visited Pakistan on June 2 at the beginning of his 16-day multi-nation trip which will also take him to Qatar for another round of peace talks with the Taliban, reports Tolo News. In this trip, the US Special Envoy will visit Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 31 to June 16, the statement said. Zalmay Khalilzad, on June 2 reacted to the Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada’s statement on Eid al-Fitr, and said it provides “some welcome support for the Afghan process”. Khalilzad also said that the statement provides “a desire to participate in dialogue with other Afghans and in a final political settlement that will require power sharing. “All good things,” he said. Khalilzad continued to say in a tweet that the Taliban leader’s statement suggests the US seeks violence. “We do not. The level of violence in Afghanistan is unacceptable and we have no desire to perpetuate it,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United States (US) Special Representative for Afghanistan Peace Zalmay Khalilzad will hold new talks this month with the Taliban in Qatar, the State Department said on June 1, as momentum builds for a deal to end America's longest war.