Afghan president assured rights will not be compromised as US envoy reported progress in talks with insurgents. Ashraf Ghani has assured his people their rights will not be compromised in the name of peace with the Taliban, after the US reported significant progress in talks with the insurgents. The Afghanistan president’s remarks came as the US envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, told the New York Times US and Taliban officials had agreed in principle to the framework of a peace deal. According to the Times, the “framework deal, which still has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement”, will see the Taliban commit to guaranteeing Afghan territory is not used as a “platform for international terrorist groups or individuals”. The deal, the Times said, could lead to a full pullout of US troops in return for a ceasefire and Taliban talks with the Afghan government.   On Monday, speaking after six days of talks in Qatar, a senior US government official told Reuters Washington was committed to withdrawing foreign forces and ending more than 17 years of war. The official, who declined to be identified, described “significant progress” but said more negotiations were needed on a ceasefire. “Of course we don’t seek a permanent military presence in Afghanistan,” the official said, from the capital Kabul. “Our goal is to help bring peace in Afghanistan and we would like a future partnership, newly defined with a post-peace government. We would like to leave a good legacy.” In an address to the nation, Ghani tried to assure Afghans no deals would be made without his full participation. “Our commitment is to provide peace and to prevent any possible disaster,” he said. “There are values that are not disputable, such as national unity, national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Ghani and Khalilzad met late on Sunday in Kabul. Ghani’s office said on Monday the US envoy shared details of talks in Qatar. It quoted Khalilzad as saying he had discussed a ceasefire but that there was no progress on that issue. Khalilzad did not confirm the statement – or his remarks to the Times. The Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces in an offensive that has not let up despite the severe winter. That has made peace an even more pressing issue. Monday’s statement from Ghani’s office claimed the Taliban demanded from Khalilzad the withdrawal of all foreign troops, but that there was no agreement on that issue. The statement added that Khalilzad had no authority to discuss issues such as a future Afghan administration but that his goal was to facilitate direct talks between the Taliban and Kabul. Abdul Hakim Mujahid, a former Taliban official and currently a member of the high peace council, an independent body of clerics and respected figures, said he believed the Qatar talks resulted in a “good understanding between both sides” but that more discussions were needed. “Afghanistan’s problem is not so simple that it can be solved in a day, week or month, it needs more time and more discussions,” Mujahid said. The Taliban have in the past refused to negotiate directly with Kabul, a stance that does not appear to have changed. They have maintained that they are prepared to talk with US officials only and only about the pullout of foreign forces. The Afghan political analyst Waheed Muzhda said he believed Khalilzad and the Taliban had reached agreement on both the withdrawal of US forces and a ceasefire deal, but that neither side was prepared to say so. “Peace talks are not possible unless both sides first agree on a ceasefire,” he said. The US led an international coalition that invaded Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, to topple the Taliban, who were harbouring Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida. The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of a Nato-led mission and a US counter-terrorism mission largely directed at groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida. Some 8,000 troops from 38 other countries are participating in the operation, known as Resolute Support. Despite US-led foreign forces training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts, the Taliban control nearly half of the country and stage near-daily attacks against the western-backed Afghan government. Ghani said last week 45,000 members of the security forces have been killed since he took office in 2014. There were reports last month that the US was considering pulling out almost half of its forces, but a White House spokesman said Donald Trump had not issued orders. However, the administration has not denied the reports. Taliban sources told Reuters on Saturday that the US had agreed on the withdrawal of foreign troops within 18 months of the signing of a pact. The US official who spoke to Reuters said a timeline was not discussed. AFP.