Turkey says Afghan peace talks in Istanbul postponed to after Ramadan

ANKARA (Reuters) A Washington-backed Afghan peace conference in Turkey has been postponed to after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday, adding that participation to the conference remained unclear.

The talks, hosted by Turkey, Qatar and the United Nations, were scheduled for April 24 to fast-track an agreement between the Taliban and Afghan government in light of the announcement by Washington that foreign troops would leave Afghanistan by Sep 11. Earlier, three sources told Reuters the talks were postponed over non-participation by the Taliban. read more

Speaking to broadcaster Haberturk, Cavusoglu said the talks had been postponed over issues regarding the preparations, but did not say whether the Taliban had agreed to participate.