All-Afghan peace summit agreed upon, but on Taliban terms

An all-Afghan peace summit will be held July 7 and 8 in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, but it would seem on Taliban terms as there will be no official government representation.

Rather, according to Germany‘s special representative, those attending “will participate only in their personal capacity and on an equal footing.”

Germany will co-sponsor the talks with Qatar, according to a statement Tuesday issued by Ambassador Marcus Potzel, Germany‘s special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

An earlier intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar was scuttled when the two sides couldn’t agree on participants. Potzel said the invitations this time have been jointly issued by Germany and Qatar.

The announcement comes as U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad is in Qatar holding a seventh round of direct talks with the Taliban.