DOHA, 03 December 2020, (TON): Afghan government and Taliban representatives reached a preliminary deal on Wednesday to pursue Peace talks. This is the first written agreement in 19 years of Afghan war and welcomed by the United Nations and Washington.

The agreement lays out the way forward for discussion but is considered a breakthrough because it will allow negotiators to move on to more substantive issues, including talks on a ceasefire, even as violence in Afghanistan has been on rise in recent times.

Nader Nadery, a member of the Afghan government’s negotiating team said “The procedure including its preamble of the negotiation has been finalised and from now on, the negotiation will begin on the agenda,”

The Taliban spokesman confirmed the agreement on Twitter.

“A joint working committee was tasked to prepare the draft topics for the agenda (of peace talks),” a joint statement from both sides said.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo congratulated the two sides on “perseverance and willingness to find common ground.”

U.S. Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter that the two sides had agreed on a “three-page agreement codifying rules and procedures for their negotiations on a political roadmap and a comprehensive ceasefire.”

Key players including Qatar, who is hosting the talks, and neighbouring Pakistan, whose government and military have helped put pressure on the Taliban to bring them to the negotiating table, also welcomed the agreement which Doha called a “milestone”.

The Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 by U.S.-led forces for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden. A U.S.-backed government has held power in Afghanistan since then, although the Taliban have control over wide areas of the country.

Under a February deal, foreign forces are to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counter-terrorism guarantees from the Taliban.

The agreement comes after months of talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Recently, security incidents were on increase as Intra-Afghan Peace talks are ongoing. A ceasefire remains the most urgent demand of international capitals and Kabul.