Direct talks between Afghan gov't, Taliban welcomed

"The peace talks with the Taliban should be and will be Afghan- led and Afghan- owned," said an official statement posted on the Presidential Palace website on Wednesday.

Welcoming the talks, the statement added, "The preliminary peace talks will include three major parts i.e. changing the initial peace talks process to a continued course, trust building and preparing a list of the most important demands in the agenda for peace talks," the Afghan president said.

UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) has also expressed appreciation.

"The head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Nicholas Haysom, welcomed the direct talks held yesterday between Afghan government and Taliban representatives in Islamabad, Pakistan, and urged the parties to take the next steps towards a reconciliation and peace process," said a statement of UNAMA released here Wednesday.

"In the long term, peace is not a luxury, it is a necessity," said Haysom in the statement, adding, "I welcome the direct face- to-face engagement by the parties as the only way to achieving progress towards a negotiated agreement and ultimately the peace that Afghanistan deserves."

Afghans from all walks of life have welcomed the talks held in Pakistan as the first step towards finding negotiated agreement to their country's lingering crisis.

"No doubt, I welcome the talks between the government and Taliban in Pakistan as a good omen for achieving lasting peace in the country. Afghanistan has hugely suffered due to the protracted war, enough is enough and there is no need to fight more," a Kabul street vendor Mohammad Azam told Xinhua.

A four-member delegation headed by deputy foreign ministry Hekmat Khalil Karzai represented Afghan government in the talks with Taliban, according to media reports.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit has expressed ignorance over holding the peace talks, saying he would share with media if receives information about the talks with Afghan government.