ISLAMABAD: China has offered to serve as guarantor for a proposed peace agreement in Afghanistan, an official statement said late on Wednesday.
The offer comes on the heels of media reports suggesting that China is likely to host an international meeting regarding the Afghan peace process, to be attended by officials from Pakistan, US, Europe and other neighboring countries of Afghanistan.
The offer was conveyed to Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib by China’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deng Xijun during a meeting in Kabul.
“Ambassador Xijun briefed NSA Mohib about the Chinese efforts in the peace process, and assured China’s readiness to offer as a guarantor role for any possible peace accord between the government and the Taliban group,” Afghanistan’s National Security Council said in a statement.
China is ready to facilitate an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace talks, Ambassador Xijun said, adding that without involvement of the Afghan government, any peace process will go nowhere.
NSA Mohib appreciated Chinese efforts in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan, saying the Afghans had rendered huge sacrifices for peace, and those sacrifices should be honored.
The envoy briefed Mohib on China’s recent efforts for peace talks, according to a statement from the national security adviser’s office.
There have been multiple signs of cautious optimism from the US and NATO about a potential peace deal in Afghanistan this year. In the past two days, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg as well as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have said a comprehensive peace agreement with the Taliban is within grasp.
The development comes as the US and Taliban are set to hold the seventh round of talks for peace later this month in Doha, Qatar.
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