Secretary-General Hopes United States-Taliban Talks Yield Afghan-Led Peace Process

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

The Secretary-General has been following closely the talks between the United States and the Taliban about a significant reduction of violence in Afghanistan aimed at opening the way for intra-Afghan peace negotiations.  During his visit to Islamabad, he expressed his sincere wishes that such talks are successful and lead to an Afghan-led peace process.  He reiterated the United Nations’ readiness to provide any assistance that the parties may require.