Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Monday for meetings with President Ashraf Ghani about the country’s peace talks with the Taliban.
Pompeo’s arrival in Kabul came at the end of a multi-country tour to Japan, Vietnam, and North Korea, where he participated in a tense round of nuclear negotiations with senior officials in Pyongyang.
The top U.S. diplomat declared support for peace talks between Afghani government officials and the Taliban, and told reporters on the ground that any discussions would need to be “Afghan-led and Afghan-owned,” according to the Washington Post.
“The United States will support, facilitate and participate in these discussions. The region and the world are all tired of what are taking place here in the same way that the Afghan people are no longer interested in seeing war,” Pompeo said.
Though Taliban leaders have repeatedly demanded direct talks with the U.S., Ghani said the Trump administration has already taken several positive steps as part of its South Asia strategy toward helping Afghanistan.
“Because of this strategy and the conditions-based nature of it, we, the members of the government, have been able to take bold steps outside the box and articulate an agenda of peace that is truly comprehensive and asks for engagement,” Ghani said at a press conference Monday.
Pompeo is expected to visit the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, just as President Trump travels to Brussels for what is shaping up to be a crucial summit with America’s NATO allies.
