Reports: Afghan Taliban reaches a preliminary agreement to set up a political office, possibly in Qatar; NATO plans to withdraw $30 billion worth of military equipment and gear from Afghanistan
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  • In an important development, according to reports, Afghan Taliban have reached a preliminary agreement to set up a political office, possibly in Qatar, as part of Western plans to end the war. The move has been supported by President Karzai while western alliances like Germany and US have been pushing for such a move. The White House said it welcomed "any step along the road" towards reconciliation. President Barack Obama "has made clear that we would support and participate in Afghan-led reconciliation efforts", said spokesman Jay Carney. But he added that reconciliation would only come if the Taliban renounced violence, broke with al-Qaeda and abided by the Afghan constitution. 1

    Meanwhile, in another development, a spokesperson for NATO has said that it is planning the logistics for withdrawing $30 billion worth of military equipment and gear from Afghanistan when alliance troops leave the country. The coalition’s state-of-the-art gear has to be taken out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when American and other NATO troops are to end their combat mission. The planning is still at its preliminary, he added. 2

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