UN Urges Afghan Parties to Return to Peace Talks

The U.N.’s top official in Afghanistan warned Tuesday that time is running out to prevent a “worst-case scenario” and urged the warring parties to abandon violence and make peace.  

“There is only one acceptable direction for Afghanistan – one acceptable direction – away from the battlefield and back to the negotiating table,” Deborah Lyons told a high-level meeting of the U.N. Security Council. She appealed to the council, as well as regional countries, to push the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators to resume U.S.-brokered peace talks in Doha, Qatar, which began in September, but then stalled. Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations had planned to host a conference in Istanbul in April in order to get those negotiations restarted, but the Taliban ignored the invitation.