Trump wants Afghans to ‘seize opportunity for peace’ in Doha deal
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump urged the people of Iran to embrace a new future on Friday, a day following the signing of the historic peace deal between the United States and the Taliban in Doha.
With a one-week truce set as a condition for the deal holding firm, Trump said that the nearly two-decade war in Afghanistan is now possible to end.
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He stated that he was sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to observe the treaty’s signing, and that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper would deliver a joint statement simultaneously with the Kabul government.
The promises to be made in the Taliban Agreement and the Joint Declaration, Trump said in a statement, are an “important step towards a lasting peace” that could end the threat of Al Qaeda and Daesh on Afghanistan.
“If the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan live up to these commitments, we will have a powerful path forward to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home,” he said.
Nevertheless, he added, “Ultimately it will be up to the people of Afghanistan to work out their future.”
“We, therefore, urge the Afghan people to seize this opportunity for peace and a new future for their country.”
