(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: Afghanistan Talks hit Roadblocks

Topic: Afghanistan Talks hit Roadblocks

Guest:

Prabhu Dayal (Former Ambassador)
Prof. Swaran Singh, (Chairperson, Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, JNU)
Maj Gen (Retd., Ashwani Kumar Siwach, Strategic Affairs Expert)

Topic Description:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to express disappointment over the postponement of talks with the Taliban and to condemn the insurgent group’s recent announcement of a "spring offensive." Some 250 Afghan politicians and civil society figures had been due to meet with Taliban negotiators in Doha starting on April 19 for the intra-Afghan dialogue. It would have marked the first time that Taliban and Kabul government officials sat together. But the meetings were abruptly cancelled on April 18 amid disagreements about the size and composition of the Afghan delegation. The US State Department said in a statement that Pompeo called Ghani on April 21 and condemned the Taliban's announcement of starting another offensive in the spring. Pompeo also said that the talks present an important opportunity to advance peace. On this edition of the big picture we will analyse the Afghan Peace Talks.