KABUL - The High Peace Council (HPC) held talks with Taliban leaders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday when both sides pledging to work for ending the ongoing conflict.

In a statement, the HPC said the meeting was a follow-up to recent talks in Dubai -- an initiative of Taliban’s finance minister Agha Jan Mutasim. He said last week a number of former Taliban ministers, diplomats and incumbent military commanders had participated in the meeting.

Last Wednesday, the Taliban vehemently denied participating in the Dubai meeting aimed at to explore avenues of making peace with the government of President Hamid Karzai.

The HPC said wide-ranging talks on Afghanistan’s current situation, ways of ending the war and taking the peace process forward had been held with a four-member Taliban group in Dubai. Both the sides agreed to continue talks until reaching a negotiated settlement of the conflict.

The Taliban vowed to appoint a delegation that would travel freely within the country and abroad to push the peace bid, the statement concluded.  (Pajhwok)