KABUL, 22 April, 2021 (TON): Taliban’s unwillingness has caused a delay in the UN-led Afghan peace conference in Turkey, said the Afghanistan’s parliament on Wednesday.

The Speaker, Mir Rahman Rahmani said, “The Istanbul conference is a historic opportunity for the Taliban, the government and the people of Afghanistan which shouldn’t be wasted.”

“Unfortunately, there is no will from the side of the Taliban movement,” said Sayed Saadat Mansour Nadery, the State Minister for Peace Affairs.

“The side of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan under one umbrella and twice as much as the Taliban should be at the negotiating table and when there is power-sharing in the future,” said State Minister for Peace Affairs Sayed Saadat Mansour Nadery.

However, the UN-led Afghan peace conference in Turkey was scheduled to take place on 24 April, but now the summit has been postponed because of non-participation by the Taliban.

Turkey, the UN, the US and Qatar made several attempts in the past to convince the Taliban to ensure their participation in the conference, but the efforts did not yield an outcome whereas the Taliban have been insisting that the U.S. first needs to implement the Doha agreement before the start of the Istanbul conference.