Pompeo arrives in Kabul to try to revive flagging Afghan peace talks – By Associated Press (The Guardian) / March 23 2020
Attempt to save stalled Afghanistan peace process comes as most world leaders have curtailed travel due to coronavirus
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has arrived in Kabul on an urgent visit to try to move forward a US peace deal signed with the Taliban last month, a trip that comes despite the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when world leaders and statesmen are curtailing official travel.
Since the signing of the deal, the peace process has stalled amid political turmoil in Afghanistan, with the country’s leaders squabbling over who was elected president.
President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival in last September’s presidential polls, Abdullah Abdullah, have both declared themselves the country’s president in duelling inauguration ceremonies earlier this month.
During his visit, Pompeo is expected to try to help end the impasse, which has put on hold the start of intra-Afghan peace talks that would include the Taliban. Those talks are seen as a critical next step in the peace deal, negotiated to allow the United States to bring home its troops and give Afghans the best chance at peace.
Continue to article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/mar/23/pompeo-arrives-in-kabul-despite-us-advice-against-international-travel-coronavirus
