The Afghan insurgent group said they were prepared for the next round of intra-Afghan talks, Tolonews reported. The second phase of the intra-Afghan negotiation, scheduled to start on 5 January in Doha, Qatar, aims to end the four decades of conflict in the country. 

“We will return to what was agreed, we do not have any problem in this matter,” Dr. Mohammad Naeem, the spokesperson of the Taliban’s Doha office was quoted as saying by TOLOnews.

Earlier, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, had cleared the government’s stand. The talks will resume on time, and there would be no delay on their part, he said. 

The government team is likely to bring the issue of the ceasefire on a priority basis in the next round of negotiations. The Taliban, however, is expected to raise the issue of the future political structure of the country before committing to a ceasefire. 

The Afghan government had formed the High Council for National Reconciliation to develop a consensus for the peace process among diverse political parties of the Afghan Republic.

The council has held meetings in past weeks, to strategize the government negotiation team's approach for the next round of the intra-Afghan negotiations.