News Room Talks

The US diplomat leading talks with the Taliban said Friday he hoped to see a peace deal in place before Afghanistan’s July presidential elections, though he cautioned he did not trust America’s long-time adversary. Zalmay Khalilzad, a former ambassador to Afghanistan who has spoken extensively with the Taliban in recent weeks, also stressed that any US troop withdrawal would be dependent on conditions on the ground, and not on any particular timetable. He also praised Pakistan’s role in facilitating these talks and said the US seeks to improve its relations with the country. The talks come as President Donald Trump pushes to end the Afghanistan conflict, where about 14,000 US troops are still deployed and which has seen countless thousands of civilian and military deaths. “The timing of a peace settlement from our point of view is the sooner is better,” Khalilzad told an audience at the US Institute of Peace in Washington. “There is an election, I know, that makes reaching a ...

Donald Trump has said that US diplomats have had a “very productive meeting” with North Korean officials as he announced his summit later this month with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be held in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. “My representatives have just left North Korea after a very productive meeting and an agreed upon time and date for the second Summit with Kim Jong Un. It will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27 & 28,” Trump said on Twitter. Is progress with North Korea possible under Trump’s style of diplomacy? “I look forward to seeing Chairman Kim & advancing the cause of peace!” he said. Earlier this week, Trump announced the dates for the second summit with Kim and said it would be held in Vietnam, but the city had not been disclosed. Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea, held three days of talks in Pyongyang to prepare for the summit, the state department said on Friday. It said Biegun had agreed with his counterpart Kim Hyok Ch...