Head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah, who has visited Tehran at the head of a delegation for talks with Iranian officials, met with Zarif on Sunday.

In the meeting, Zarif reaffirmed Iran’s support for the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the process of peace under the leadership and management of Afghans, and the agreements among the participants in the intra-Afghan negotiations.

The top Iranian diplomat admired Abdullah for participating in the political process and assuming responsibility to run Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation.

Zarif also expressed Iran’s support for the Taliban’s participation in Afghanistan’s political structure.

For his part, Abdullah Abdullah expounded on the most recent developments in Afghanistan and the latest status of the intra-Afghan talks.

Abdullah, the former chief executive officer of the Afghan unity government, has visited Iran for talks on the Afghan peace process, the intra-Afghan dialogue in Qatar, and the need for regional consensus and support for the Afghanistan peace efforts.

He is going to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani during his stay in Tehran.

In an interview with IRNA, Bahador Aminian said political parties, the government and opposition in Afghanistan have no choice but to sit at the negotiating table to secure peace through dialogue and without foreign interference.

“There might be problems on the road to peace, but there is no option other than negotiations,” the Iranian ambassador stressed.

He also reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to facilitate and support the intra-Afghan talks and help the Afghan people and government achieve peace and development.

Aminian expressed hope that establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan would allow for the promotion of relations between the two neighbors.

In a telephone conversation with President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani in August, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed Tehran’s support for the peace process in Afghanistan under the guidance of the Kabul government, hoping that the intra-Afghan negotiations would yield results with the inclusion of all Afghan groups.

A small group of negotiators from both sides had met in previous days to try to discuss how the substantive negotiations would take place.

“The contact group from both sides’ delegations continued the discussion on rules and procedures and prepared to present it to the general meeting between the two negotiating teams (taking place on Tuesday),” senior Afghan government negotiator Nader Nadery said, Reuters reported.

The Taliban’s political spokesman Muhammad Naeem said the meeting would be “general” and there were no specific agreed issues on the agenda.

An Afghan presidential palace official said a top priority was getting the Taliban to agree on a ceasefire.

Violence has continued in the country even after the launch of historic peace talks at an opening ceremony in Doha on Saturday.

In a statement released on Saturday, the Foreign Ministry welcomed the beginning of negotiations between the Kabul government, Afghan political groups and the Taliban in Doha.

What follows is the text of the statement, published by the ministry’s official website:

The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the beginning of intra-Afghan talks between the Kabul government, Afghan political groups and the Taliban, and hopes that the talks will be held within a context of comprehensive understanding among Afghans and without any foreign interference. It also hopes that the negotiations will lead to the desired results, including the establishment of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan as well as security in the region.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always emphasized that there is no military solution to the problems in Afghanistan and the continued presence of foreign forces is one of the main reasons for the continuation of war in the country. All issues and problems in Afghanistan can be resolved only through dialogue and negotiation, and the responsible withdrawal of foreign troops is an inevitable prerequisite for achieving peace and security in that country.

The Islamic Republic of Iran hopes that the Afghan government, political groups and the Taliban could reach a lasting agreement while preserving the valuable achievements of the Afghan people, including the Constitution, democratic structures, inclusive political participation, the rights and dignity of women, and the rights of ethnic and religious minorities. Iran also hopes that the agreement will ensure peace, tranquility, well-being and prosperity for the Afghan people and in turn enable Afghan refugees to return to their country and play their part in the reconstruction, growth and development of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran once again expresses its readiness to assist in advancing the peace process in Afghanistan as in the past and to provide its facilities and capabilities to the Afghan brothers and sisters for this purpose. Iran also strongly condemns any political opportunism and profiteering from the intra-Afghan talks, especially by the US government for electoral purposes and considers such moves to be disruptive to the talks.

The members of the High Council for National Reconciliation include former president Hamid Karzai, ex-mujahideen leaders Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Mohammad Karim Khalili, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rashid Dostum, Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, Salahuddin Rabbani, and members of other factions, according to Afghan media.

While the council is seen as a government-appointed body, Karzai has said he “will not be part of any government structure” but that he would continue his endeavors for peace.

At least one general from the ex-communist government is on the list, as are those who fought with the Taliban for nearly three decades.

Ghani is keen to broaden the team that will advise the squad of negotiators ahead of the crucial meeting, the date for which has yet to be finalized.

He has asked religious scholars, parliament, the media and provincial councils to put forward their picks for the council within a week, an indication that the talks are not likely to start in early September.

The setting up of the council has been beset by delays since the signing of a so-called peace agreement between the Taliban and Washington in Doha in February this year.

Intra-Afghan talks should have begun in early March following a prisoner exchange deal between the Taliban and Kabul in line with the February agreement, which also paves the way for a complete withdrawal of all US troops from Afghanistan by next spring.

According to Abdullah Abdullah, who is leading the 48-member team, the talks are scheduled to take place in the coming week.

But the Taliban said the group had made “no such pledge” and that the talks would take place only after Kabul freed “all of its remaining comrades from prison” — a key condition of the February accord.

The Taliban delegation, headed by political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, will discuss “recent developments in Afghanistan’s peace process” with Pakistani leaders, as well as the “relaxation and facilitation of people’s movement and trade between the two neighboring countries,” said a tweet by a Taliban spokesman.

In a press conference early on Monday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the meetings were meant to further the “aim” of bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan, AFP reported.

“I have invited them again and will have a detailed meeting with them tomorrow,” he told reporters, adding that he will share the outcome of the talks with media.

Other members of the Taliban team include Khairullah Khairkhwa, Mohammad Nabi Omari, Shahbuddin Dilawar, Qari Deen Muhammad and Abdul Latif Mansoor.

“Afghan Taliban officials routinely pay visits to other countries as part of our political strategy to convey our views about the peace process,” the Taliban spokesman said, adding that recent trips have been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Taliban’s arrival in Pakistan follows a statement by Pakistan’s foreign ministry that it would enforce 2015 UN-imposed penalties that target dozens of individuals, including Baradar and several members of the Haqqani family, including Sirajuddin, current head of the Haqqani network and deputy head of the Taliban.

The timing of the decision has been seen by some as a tactic to push the group into negotiations.

On Sunday the group said the sanctions could affect the peace process.

“These are not new sanctions, they were previously slapped on a number of members,” the Taliban said.

“But we are now entering into intra-Afghan negotiations and there is a need for travel, so of course these sanctions will hamper the peace process.”

But Qureshi said the officials were coming to Pakistan by invitation and that the peace process would not be affected by sanctions.