Wednesday, 16 December, 2020 - 10:15
Afghan security personnel inspect the site of a bombing attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. A bombing attack on Wednesday in the Afghan capital of Kabul wounded a few people, Ferdaws Faramarz, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief said. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) Asharq Al-Awsat
A Taliban team, led by the co-founder of the insurgent movement, arrived Wednesday in Islamabad for talks with Pakistani government leaders amid growing calls for a reduction in violence in Afghanistan.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and his delegation were summoned to Islamabad from Qatar, where they have been negotiating since September with Afghan government representatives, officials close to the talks said. The visit comes a day after US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad made a quick trip to Pakistan´s powerful military in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
Afghan Taliban fly to Pakistan for talks aa.com.tr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from aa.com.tr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Trump administration used a mix of intimidation and incentives to achieve some of these deals.
Last week, Morocco became the latest Arab state to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel, normalizing years of clandestine relations between the two countries.
“Our two great friends Israel and the kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations,” President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on 10 December.
Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 10, 2020
Trump also announced that he “signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara.”
Taliban team in Pakistan as calls grow for Afghan cease-fire
by Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press
Posted Dec 16, 2020 2:33 am EDT
Last Updated Dec 16, 2020 at 2:42 am EDT
FILE - In this Feb. 29, 2020, file photo, U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, left, and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group s top political leader sign a peace agreement between Taliban and U.S. officials in Doha, Qatar. The Taliban say the long-awaited peace talks with the negotiating team selected by the Afghan government are to begin on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020, in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar. The announcement on Sept. 10, came in a statement from the Taliban in Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office, and also as an announcement from Qatar s foreign ministry. (AP Photo/Hussein Sayed, File)
On December 12, while delivering a speech at the Climate Ambition Summit organized by the United Nations via video link, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan told the world leaders that Pakistan has decided to have nature-based solutions to mitigate impacts of climate change by planting 10 billion trees across the country in the next three years.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also informed the world leaders that Pakistan had also decided that by 2030, 60% of energy produced in Pakistan would be clean energy through renewables.
In my opinion, Pakistan has great potential for renewable energy development. Increasing the proportion of clean energy can not only reduce greenhouse gas emission, but also save a lot of foreign exchange, reduce electricity prices, attract more foreign investment and bring huge economic benefits.