According to State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus: Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke on April 20th with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan. The Secretary condemned the Taliban’s recent announcement of a spring offensive and underscored the United States’ solidarity with the Afghan people’s pursuit of a comprehensive peace agreement that would end the suffering and destruction. He also expressed the United States’ disappointment that the intra-Afghan dialogue, planned for Doha, Qatar, had been postponed. The Secretary and President Ghani agreed that the Doha conference presents an important opportunity to advance peace. The Secretary encouraged all sides to seize the moment and reach an understanding on participants, so that an inclusive intra-Afghan dialogue can be convened in Doha as soon as possible.

From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: “Some 250 Afghan politicians and civil society figures had been due to meet with Taliban negotiators in Doha starting on April 19 for the so-called intra-Afghan dialogue. It would have marked the first time that Taliban and Kabul government officials sat together.

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But the meetings were abruptly cancelled on April 18 amid disagreements about the size and composition of the Afghan delegation.”