The talks at the Doha luxury hotel were opened by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahmans at Tani, who was accompanied by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US Special Envoy for the Afghan Reconciliation Zalmaj Halilzad.
The negotiations promise to be long and difficult, and the conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement could take several years.
The Taliban, who are refusing to recognize the government of President Ashraf Ghana, will press for the transformation of Afghanistan into an Islamic emirate.
For its part, the Ghanaian administration will seek to maintain a Western-backed constitutional republic that upholds many rights, including greater freedom for women.
At the beginning of the talks, the head of the Afghan government delegation Abdulla Abdullah called on the Taliban to agree on a humanitarian ceasefire.
“We need to stop the violence and agree on a ceasefire as soon as possible. We want a humanitarian ceasefire,” Abdullah said.
Taliban political leader Mullah Abdul Gani Baradar reiterated the group’s call for Afghanistan to adopt an Islamic system at the opening of talks.
“I want everyone to consider Islam in negotiations and treaties and not to sacrifice Islam for personal gain,” Baradar said, adding that he wanted an “Islamic system” in Afghanistan.
Pompeo, for its part, called on the warring parties to seize the opportunity to secure peace for future generations.
“We will undoubtedly face many challenges in the coming days, weeks and months. Remember that you are not only working for this generation of Afghans, but also for future generations, your children and grandchildren,” Pompeo said at the opening ceremony.
Negotiations were originally scheduled to begin in March, but were delayed several times as the Afghan government and Taliban delayed exchanging prisoners.
The exchange of prisoners was an important point in the terms of the US-Taliban agreement reached in February. As a result, the United States agreed to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban promise to start peace talks with the Kabul government.
Kabul agreed to release nearly 5,000 Taliban prisoners, but the Taliban agreed to release 1,000 government people.
Pompeo arrived in Doha on Friday. He described the forthcoming talks as a historic opportunity to end the 19-year US military presence in Afghanistan.
“I am well aware of how difficult these talks between Afghans will be, but they can afford it,” Pompeo told reporters before the flight to Qatar.
Abdul Hafiz Mansur, a member of the Kabul delegation, said earlier that his message to the Taliban would be that they cannot succeed by force.
“Now is the time for reconciliation, we can solve our problems by talking to each other,” Mansur said.
On Thursday, the last hurdle was apparently resolved: the release of several dangerous Taliban fighters.
Two Taliban were released from prison in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, killing a French citizen working for the UN.
Six other Taliban fighters who killed French and Australian soldiers were taken on a special flight to Doha, where they will remain in custody for the time being.
France and Australia have strongly opposed the release of the Taliban.
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