KABUL, 05 December, 2020, (TON): Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Saturday inaugurated the first meeting of the Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) after the establishment of the council a few months ago.

Addressing the meeting Ghani told the 48-member meeting of the HCNR that "We held this historic meeting today as the peace talks have entered its second phase. Today's meeting passes a good message to Afghans and to the international community."

The meeting came as the Afghan government delegation and Taliban representatives have made progress in the ongoing peace talks in Doha, capital of Gulf state of Qatar.

The two sides agreed on a draft topic for the agenda and will soon kick off direct peace negotiations, according to local media reports.

"Entering the process into the second round was a success. No one should be seeking their own interest in peace talks," Ghani added.

Chairman of the HCNR Abdullah Abdullah told the participants that Afghan people were in dire need of political unity more than ever and need an urgent inclusive ceasefire.

"Everyone should focus on peace... There is a need for regional cooperation for Afghan peace and reconciliation process," Abdullah said.

He assured that the Afghan government negotiators, who are holding peace negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar, were representing "the whole nation and they were doing well in their mission of the peace process."

The comments came as the armed insurgency was intensified recently. Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 by U.S.-led forces. A U.S.-backed government has held power in Afghanistan since then, although the Taliban have control over wide areas of the country.

More than 35,000 Afghan civilians have died and about 65,000 have been injured as a result of armed conflict in Afghanistan since January 2009, according to figures of the UN mission in the country.