Secretary-General Welcomes Announcement of Temporary Ceasefire in Afghanistan, Urging Taliban to Accept President’s Offer for Commencing Direct Peace Talks

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General welcomes the announcement by the Government of Afghanistan of a temporary ceasefire with the Taliban for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

The Secretary-General urges the Taliban to reciprocate the temporary ceasefire and accept President Ashraf Ghani’s peace offer to commence direct talks to bring an end to the long suffering of the Afghan people.

The United Nations stands in solidarity with the people and Government of Afghanistan and remains committed to supporting an Afghan-led peace process.