Aziz delays trip, to meet Karzai on Sunday

KABUL‘s Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has delayed his visit to Kabul by a day, a media report said on Friday.

Scheduled to arrive in Kabul on Saturday, Aziz will now travel to Afghanistan on Sunday, according to the Dawn newspaper. He will meet President Karzai and other members of the Afghan government.

“The delay will not change much, except that Aziz’s desire for an overnight stay in Kabul will remain unfulfilled,” the daily reported, saying the trip was essentially aimed to build confidence.

Also a former foreign minister, Aziz said on Wednesday he would deliver an invitation to President Hamid Karzai to visit Pakistan. During talks, the presidential trip’s agenda could be firmed up.

The advisor is expected to address some of the concerns of Afghan leaders and persuade them to work jointly with Pakistan to promote the peace process,particularly the Qatar initiative.

According to Pakistani diplomats, the closure of the Taliban‘s Doha office is a temporary move and the stalled peace effort could be revived if all sides did their part sincerely.

mud

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