15/07/2020 (Agence Europe) – On Tuesday 14 July, the North Atlantic Council called for the launch of intra-Afghan peace negotiations. It said in a statement that “we urge the Afghan government and the Taliban to honour their commitments, including to join intra-Afghan negotiations and ensure that terrorists never again find refuge on Afghan soil”, adding that “the time has come for all parties to seize this opportunity for peace”. The Council called on the parties to swiftly resolve both the outstanding issues preventing the talks from starting and the issues involving prisoner releases. It also described the level of violence in the country as unacceptable, as it “caused instability and undermined confidence in the peace process”. The Council therefore called on the Taliban to accept a humanitarian ceasefire. (CG)