Berlin (dpa) – German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Tuesday said international troops should not be withdrawn from Afghanistan before the end of the peace process in the country, countering claims made by the United States.
“We have to link both processes – the withdrawal of foreign troops and the peace negotiations,” Mass said during a digital conference hosted by different German media.
Maas said the ongoing peace talks were “very, very cumbersome” and would not be concluded by April, the time by which former US president Donald Trump had committed to withdraw all troops.
“When the peace talks are concluded, and successfully so, then it is the right time to withdraw foreign military from there,” Maas said.
Maas criticized the US unilateral plan for troop reduction, saying it jeopardized the security of remaining NATO forces in the country.
A joint solution with the US was needed, Maas said, adding that the new US government was open to such an approach.
The US signed an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020 that provides for the gradual withdrawal of all NATO forces from the country. In return, the Taliban committed to renounce violence and enter into peace talks with the government.
Representatives of the internationally-backed government and the Taliban have been engaged in peace talks in Qatar since mid-September. But the violence continues in the country.
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