Afghan security guards walk during a Taliban attack in Ghazni city, Afghanistan August 12, 2018.
Representatives from the Taliban met an Afghan government delegation in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss security ahead of next month's parliamentary elections and a limited prisoner release, three Taliban officials said.
The meeting comes less than a month before voters are due to go to the polls on Oct. 20 to elect a new Afghan parliament, a process which has been hampered by fears of attacks on polling stations and campaign rallies.
Ensuring the election passes off smoothly and without violence has been a top priority for the Afghan government and its international partners.
"They requested us to help them conduct peaceful elections," said one of the Taliban leaders.
Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday the Taliban was prepared to attend multilateral peace talks on Afghanistan in Moscow, RIA news agency reported.Afghanistan's deputy foreign minister is expected to visit Moscow on Thursday to discuss the dates of the talks, the Afghan embassy was cited as saying earlier. Pakistan seizes hashish worth millions of dollarsUNHCR hails Pakistan plan to grant refugees citizenship
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"The Afghan delegation has agreed with us on the release of prisoners," he said, adding that some prisoners facing minor charges had already been released and officials had divided up others into three categories, depending on their importance, for future release.
Both President Ashraf Ghani's office and the U.S. State Department declined to comment. No comment was available from Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's main spokesman.
The Taliban, who regard the internationally recognised Afghan government as an illegitimate regime imposed by foreign powers, have generally insisted on negotiating only with the United States but there have been regular unofficial contacts.
Earlier this year, Washington dropped its refusal to talk with the Taliban, saying the United States would be willing to participate in Afghan-led peace talks and U.S. and Taliban delegations met for talks in Doha, Qatar, in July.
The UN’s top envoy in Afghanistan is calling on the nation’s political actors and institutions to work to secure fair elections.Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, briefed the UN Security Council on the situation in the war-torn country Monday, saying the key to peace and security is through fair and secure polls."I urge all political actors and institutions to perform their duties and act responsibly and to think of the Afghan people, bearing in mind the country's bitter past," said Yamamoto, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).Afghanistan is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on Oct. 20, but they have been delayed twice in the past year.The Independent Election Commission (IEC) of Afghanistan, which will be in charge of the polls, is facing pressure from the international community to restore trust among the Afghan people in the election process.Afghan lawmakers are perceived as corrupt, and people fear the next parliament will be no different. Meanwhile, although potential voters must visit registration centers and get their identity cards stamped with special stickers, there have been allegations of massive voter fraud where IDs have been faked and stickers misused.Yamamoto also criticized supporters of a political coalition in the country for blocking provincial election commissions, saying additional safeguards needed to be in place before elections can occur."These actions hinder the work of the IEC and jeopardize the holding of the elections on time," Yamamoto said."At this critical juncture, the Independent Election Commission, as the lead institution on elections, will be looked upon to discharge its function with the highest degree of integrity, professionalism and with full accountability to the Afghan people."Afghanistan, Pakistan agree to work together for peaceUS acting solo on Taliban peace talks: Russian envoy
Fair polls key to peace, security in Afghanistan: UN
The meeting in Saudi Arabia came after plans for another meeting with American officials broke down over U.S. demands for a three-month ceasefire, the Taliban representatives said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Some of our senior people were not in the favour of holding talks with the Afghan government as until now we were calling them puppets and refused to meet them," said one senior Taliban leader in Qatar.
"But our proposed meeting with the Americans failed to take place due to certain reasons," he said.
The officials said U.S. demands for a ceasefire was something the leadership could not agree to. As a result, no formal meeting was held although there were informal contacts.
"Our agreement for holding the meeting was only to discuss prisoner exchange and the removal of our people from the UN black list so they can travel," said one senior Taliban leader from the movement's political office in Qatar.