Taliban, Afghan leaders make tentative progress toward peace

Leaders from the Taliban and from a wide range of political and civic institutions in Afghanistan made progress toward a peace resolution after decades of warfare in the country on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reports.

About 70 representatives from the warring sides gathered for two days in Doha before agreeing — tentatively — on aspects of the country's future. The joint resolution said that post-war Afghanistan would have an Islamic legal system, equality for all ethnic groups, and the guarantee for women's rights "within the Islamic framework of Islamic values."

The meeting between the "bitter foes" drew praise simply for taking place in the first place, including from the United States' peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been in involved in separate talks with the Taliban. Still, the progress is not set in stone; the declaration was nonbinding and the factions set no date for further discussions or negotiations. The Taliban has reportedly said further talks with other Afghans won't begin until they come to terms with the U.S. on a timeline for troop withdrawal.

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Moving forward, two conditions are expected to prove particularly contentious, the Journal reports. The Taliban demands a full implementation of Islamic law and the establishment of an Islamic emirate in Afghanistan, which is opposed by many Afghans who hope to preserve the country as an Islamic republic. The other point of division could be calls for the reform of "fundamental institutions." Currently, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani insists that the country's armed forces remain unchanged. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.