Next round of Afghan-Taliban talks set for end of July

The next round of peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents is scheduled for the end of July, officials said Friday, with the venue of the meeting still unconfirmed, Dawn news reported.

"The second round of talks... is set for July 30 or 31," said Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar, a member of the Afghan High Peace Council (HPC), the government's top peace negotiating body.

He said China would "most probably" be hosting the meeting, but another HPC official said that had not been confirmed.

"The talks... are set for July 30 but discussions and consultation are ongoing between Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States and China on where to host the meeting," said HPC deputy chairman Abdul Hakim Mujahid.

"Which country will be hosting the meeting has not been confirmed yet," Mujahid said.

Afghan officials sat down with Taliban cadres for the first round this month in Murree ─ their first face-to-face talks aimed at ending the bloody insurgency.

They agreed to meet again in the coming weeks, drawing praise from Islamabad, Beijing, Washington and the United Nations.

The next round of negotiations were widely expected to be conducted after Eidul Fitr, the festival last week marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.