The UN envoy to Afghanistan on Tuesday urged all Afghan groups to open direct talks to end the country's long conflict after President Donald Trump shut down US negotiations with Taliban insurgents.
Tadamichi Yamamoto said that violence threatened Afghanistan's presidential elections scheduled for September 28 and called on the Taliban to condemn all poll-related attacks.
On Monday, Trump made a surprise announcement saying US peace talks with the Taliban were "dead" and that he was ramping the war back up after cancelling a secret meeting with the insurgents at his weekend retreat.
Speaking at a Security Council debate, Yamamoto said: "The events of recent days and weeks have shown, more than ever, the urgency of finding a political settlement.
"Conflict can only be resolved by direct talks between Afghan people. It is imperative therefore that direct talks between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban commence as soon as possible."
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