Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has agreed, upon the recommendation of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), to hold the next round of intra-Afghan dialogue in Doha, Qatar, TOLOnews reported.

Barring the next round, the government still maintains its instance of holding future talks in Afghanistan, said Waheed Omer, the head of the Office of the Public and Strategic Affairs of the President.

Earlier, on 18 November, Ghani invited the Taliban to Kandahar for next phase of the intra-Afghan dialogue. The offer gave speculations that the talks might delay over the venue. Days after the offer, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the HCNR, said the venue would not delay the resumption of the talks which was scheduled for 5 January next year.

Abdullah Abdullah held a meeting of the leadership council of the HCNR on Sunday. After the meeting, he went on to meet President Ghani and discussed the next round of negotiations and venue with Ghani, said a statement released by Ghani’s office.

“The LC (Leadership Council) after consulting with the peace support group decided that the next round of the peace talks will take place in Doha, Qatar...The negotiation will resume on 5 January 2021, and the venue for the talks should not be an obstacle,” tweeted Dr Abdullah.

He also informed that the HCNR is the only body to represent the peace efforts and thanked all participants for their unanimous support to the council.