Faraidoon Khwazoon, High Council for National Reconciliation spokesperson, on Monday said that all obstacles ahead of the intra-Afghan talks have been removed and soon talks will begin.

"All obstacles ahead of the intra-Afghan talks have been removed. The prisoner swap process will end soon and intra-Afghan talks will begin," Khwazoon tweeted.

Khwazoon also said that Afghanistan�s Islamic Republic negotiation team is fully prepared for the trip to Doha.

This comes after US National Security Adviser Robert O�Brien on Tuesday in a phone call with President Ashraf Ghani called for a swift start to the intra-Afghan talks.

"NSA O�Brien had a great phone call with President Ashraf Ghani today to discuss the need for intra-Afghan talks to start without delay. Reiterated US support for a sovereign, democratic, and unified Afghanistan that never again serves as a source of international terrorism," the NSA tweeted on Monday.

"The US stands with the Afghan security forces who have made tremendous sacrifices for the Afghan people," said O�Brien.

Meanwhile, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai, the Taliban�s chief negotiator, has called on Australia and France not to interfere in Afghanistan�s internal affairs. Both countries have asked the Afghan government not to release prisoners who are accused of killing their citizens.

Stanekzai called for the immediate release of Taliban prisoners held by the Afghan government.

The Afghan government is demanding the release of 22 commando forces by the Taliban.

The talks between the Afghan factions and the Taliban were expected to begin 10 days after the Feb. 29 deal between the US and the Taliban, but it is dependent on the completion of a prisoner exchange by the Afghan government and the Taliban.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/19968

*	NAME
*	COMMENT
4 DIGITS BELOW
*

	Taliban�s new law bans women�s voices and faces
	Western Kabul residents say Taliban has failed to ensure security after bombing
	Formation of the Federalist Assembly of Afghanistan
	Taliban: Afghanistan Does Not Have Formal Border With Pakistan
	Pedram: The Abduction of Hazara and Tajik Women Recalls the Crimes of Abdur Rahman
	Special envoys from G7 countries discuss Afghanistan in London meeting
	UNAMA report: 49 Hazara community members killed in Afghanistan in three months
	Generations of Pakistan and Afghanistan who fell victim to suicide attacks
	UNAMA urges increased protection for Afghanistan�s Hazara community after Kabul attack
	Explosion reported in Kabul , casualties still unknown