The second round of official talks between representatives of the Kabul government and the Taliban, aimed at ending the 14-year war, will take place on July 30 in China, an Afghan official said Friday. The two sides are still working out the details such as the list of attendants, which should be finalized in the coming days, said Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar of the High Peace Council, the body charged with negotiating a settlement with the insurgents. Qasimyar told The Associated Press that Kabul would request a temporary cease-fire in the fighting, which has intensified following the April launch of the Taliban's warm-weather offensive. "We are willing to enter into a cease-fire and it would be a good test to see if fighters on the ground are willing to accept a cease-fire directive from the Taliban leadership," he said. The first round of official face-to-face talks took place in Islamabad on July 7, supervised by American and Chinese representatives. They followed several informal contacts since President Ashraf Ghani came into office last year. Ghani has made peace talks with the Taliban a priority.
