Afghan govt, Taliban announce breakthrough deal to pursue peace talks
HAMID SHALIZI and ABDU QADIR SEDIQI AFGHAN government and Taliban representatives have reached a preliminary deal to press on with peace talks, their first written agreement in 19 years of war and welcomed by the United Nations and Washington. The agreement lays out the way forward for further discussion but is considered a breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire. "The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalised and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda," Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan…