Thread by @JJSchroden

.@TOLOnews is interviewing @US4AfghanPeace about the #Afghanistan talks & is posting updates but not threaded. Going to repost them here as a thread for easier reading:

1. HAPPENING NOW - Interview with US chief negotiator Zalmay Khalilzad
… 1/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the Afghan government has been consulted on all aspects of the peace talks, including US forces withdrawal, counterterrorism assurances and a ceasefire. 2/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US will leave five bases as part of a peace deal and that the bases will be handed to the Afghan government. 3/n

The US envoy said that as part of the peace agreement, at the first stage, the provinces of Kabul and Parwan – where the Bagram Airfield is located – will see a reduction in violence. 4/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US has rented these bases from the Afghan govt and that violence will significantly reduce in areas from where the American troops will withdraw. 5/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US has agreed to withdraw 5,000 troops from five bases within 135 days if the process moves forward based on conditions in the peace agreement. 6/n

@US4AfghanPeace says an inclusive negotiating team has not been finalized by the Afghan govt.

He says violence will reduce once the US-#Taliban agreement is signed. 7/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US came to #Afghanistan because of the attack on the United States by #alQaeda and that the US wants to make sure groups like this are no longer operative on Afghan soil. 8/n

@US4AfghanPeace says he does not see joint operation -- against terrorist group [eg #ISIS] -- by the #Taliban and the US according to the draft agreement between the two sides. 9/n

@US4AfghanPeace says that in the draft agreement, the US has recognized the #Taliban as a group, not as a government. 10/n

@US4AfghanPeace says that the US leadership will decide on who and at what level will sign the peace agreement with the #Taliban. 11/n

@US4AfghanPeace says @ashrafghani and @DrabdullahCE were given a chance to study the US-#Taliban draft agreement. 12/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US opened the door for talks w/the #Taliban & that now they are in a transitional phase, however, it is now up to Afghans to talk amongst themselves.

He says the US does not want to publish the text of the agreement before a decision by @POTUS. 13/n

@US4AfghanPeace says he expects that Afghans come up with a “strong and inclusive” negotiating team.

He says the US will continue to support #Afghanistan & that the next step belongs to Afghans to sit and resolve their issues through defining a formula to end the war. 14/n

@US4AfghanPeace says if the Afghans remain in disharmony about talks with the #Taliban, it will create problems and that the Afghan leaders should reap the benefit of the current opportunity.

He says the US will continue its support to Afghan security forces. 15/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US prefers peace, however, there are serious reservations about the transparency of the presidential election.

He says the US does not have any position whether the election should be held or not. 16/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the intra-Afghan negotiations will begin ahead of the presidential election. 17/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the forcible return of #Taliban’s [Islamic] emirate is not acceptable for the US. He says it is a red line for the US.

He says the US will favor a govt which will be established through negotiations. 18/n

@US4AfghanPeace says discussions about the venue and the timeline of the signing of the peace deal have not finalized.

He says the #Taliban have told them that they are not the "previous Taliban" and that they are in favor of "new things". 19/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the achievements of the past 18 years in #Afghanistan should be preserved after a peace deal.

@US4AfghanPeace says the US is ready to cooperate with Afghans in intra-Afghan negotiations.

He says several countries including #Norway as a possible host of the intra-Afghan negotiations are ready to cooperate, including the UN, #Indonesia and #Germany. 21/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US is seeking to end the conflict in #Afghanistan and prevent “future wars” in the country through an inclusive agreement [among Afghans]. 22/n

@US4AfghanPeace says Daesh [#ISIS] is a threat to #Afghanistan and he hopes that the group will be suppressed after a peace deal.

He says the US will “change its mind” towards the #Taliban if the group does not cooperate in the fight against Daesh threat in the country. 23/n

@US4AfghanPeace says that a reform in the Afghan forces [#ANDSF] and merging the #Taliban among them will be part of an agenda in the intra-Afghan negotiations. 24/n

@US4AfghanPeace says the US wants to have better relations with #Pakistan and that the relations between the two countries have improved.

He says that improvement in US-Pakistan relations has helped progress in the Afghan peace process. 25/n

The interview tweets end & @TOLOnews reports:

#Breaking - Huge explosion reported in Kabul. Details to follow. 26/26

@threadreaderapp unroll this please #Afghanistan