Taliban expresses willingness to meet demands for Afghan peace talks amid US warnings

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ANI Islamabad
Last Updated : Jun 23 2013 | 12:00 PM IST

The Taliban has expressed its willingness to keep their flag lowered as the US warned that their newly opened political office in Qatar might have to be closed.

The warning from the US comes as talks aimed at ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan remained in limbo.

A Taliban spokesman in Doha, Shaheen Suhail, suggested the Taliban were willing to move forward despite anger among some members over the removal of the name and the lowering of the Taliban flag - a white flag emblazoned with a Quranic verse in black, the Dawn News reports.

According to the report, Suhail said that in the past 12 years, the opening of the political office is the first ray in the direction of peace in Afghanistan.

He added that those who want real peace in the county should support this move. There should not be high expectations to see everything resolved in one day, nor should there be disappointments.

He said that the US had not contacted the Taliban yet to discuss a meeting.

According to the report, earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry told the Taliban not to let differences on names and flags spoil hopes for talks.

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First Published: Jun 23 2013 | 11:40 AM IST

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