Al Hilal and Neymar mutually agree to part ways    Saudi Arabia and Italy sign 26 deals for expanding partnership Meloni visits historical landmarks of Hegra in AlUla    Saudi Arabia allows foreigners to invest in listed companies operating in Makkah and Madinah    NWC allows installment payment of fee for household water and sewage connections    Saudi Arabia redefines the pilgrimage experience, blending spirituality and modernity    Aubameyang leads Al-Qadsiah to a stunning victory over defending champions Al-Hilal    Damac stuns Al-Ittihad with Nkoudou's double in Saudi Pro League clash    Saudi Arabia announces historic participation in upcoming Asian Winter Games    Impeached South Korean president charged with insurrection    Three children drown every day in India's wetlands, but mothers are fighting back    Thousands march on streets of Brussels demanding permanent ceasefire in Gaza    Saudi Film Commission Joins Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet)    Bird feathers found in engines of crashed Jeju Air jet    105th batch of King Faisal Air Academy students graduated    HADAF supports employment of 437,000 Saudis in private sector in 2024    Probe ordered into power outage in southern regions as electricity service fully restored to all consumers    Education sector commercial records grow by 22% in 2024    Hans Zimmer delivers a spectacular musical night at Riyadh Season    Tina Turner's lost Private Dancer song rediscovered    Comeback queens, blockbusters and Succession stars: The Oscar nominations previewed    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Afghan, Taliban delegates attend Oslo talks on ending conflicts
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 17 - 06 - 2015

LOSBY, Norway — Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban attended an international conference on Tuesday in Norway on ways to end conflicts, but Oslo said there were no plans for formal peace talks between the two sides.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Iranian vice President Masoumeh Ebtekar and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi were also among about 150 people at the two-day meeting to exchange views about how to negotiate peace.
“There's no plan for formal peace talks (about Afghanistan) ... but if you are going to reach peace then those who disagree must talk together,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende told reporters at the start of the meeting.
A spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry said Kabul had sent a six-member delegation to the conference at Losby, 20 km east of Oslo.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said a three-man delegation was attending. He denied media reports that the two sides would hold peace talks to end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.
“This claim is untrue,” Mujahid said in a statement. “The participants in this year's conference will express their views regarding the turmoil and problems in Yemen, Sudan, Somalia and Afghanistan.”
The Taliban, however, have often played down past meetings aimed at ending the 13-year-old war with the US-backed Afghan government, including in Qatar in May.
Brende confirmed that Norway had hosted what he called informal talks in early June about womens' rights and education for girls in Afghanistan that involved both goverment and Taliban delegates.
Brende said violence had risen in many parts of the world in recent years, from Syria to Nigeria. “After decades of positive developments we have seen some setbacks,” he said.
Colombia's Santos said there was a “ray of hope” from talks between his government and Marxist rebels, conducted over the past 30 months in Cuba.
“Formidable difficulties still lie ahead in Colombia,” he added in an opening speech.
The 8,000-strong rebels lifted a unilateral cease-fire about three weeks ago and since then have carried out almost daily strikes against roadways, power networks and crude oil trucks and pipelines. The 51-year-old conflict has killed more than 220,000 people. — Reuters


Clic here to read the story from its source.