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Afghan President invites Taliban for dialogue

ISLAMABAD, Oct 31 (KUNA) -- President of Afghanistan, Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on Friday invited the Taliban rebels to participate in the government-led reconciliation process in the interest of last peace in the war-torn Afghanistan.
In his address during a conference in China, the Afghan president said, "We invite the political opposition, particularly the Taliban, to join an inter-Afghan dialogue and ask all our international partners to support the process." He warned that violence would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
"We must not and will not permit the organizations pursuing grand illusions to use Afghanistan as the battleground or launching pad against an international system," Ahmadzai remarked.
According to a statement from the Afghan Presidential Palace, the premier appealed to regional countries to support Afghanistan's efforts at dealing with problems, including security and stability.
The president said: "We think the Afghan issue has to be settled by the people of Afghanistan themselves. We believe that the Afghan people have the ability and knowledge to address their issues." The invitation for the dialogues by the president came at a time when foreign forces are scheduled to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. (end) sbk.ibi