Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, said that groups of the Taliban would have been ready to fight for another 20 years, had an agreement not been reached with the United States during the negotiations.
In a meeting organized by the US Council on Foreign Relations, the Qatari foreign minister stressed the need for everyone to support the move to end the war.
"We must all support the first step in ending the war, and we believe that the role of the United States in the region should be to support the partnerships we have historically made with it, and to support the security and prosperity of the region," the Qatari official said.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani also called on the Taliban movement to work towards achieving national reconciliation, and stressed the need for the international community to support this process.
He stated, "What we believe is an issue - in the medium term - that should be addressed and urged the Taliban to pay attention to it, is the issue of national reconciliation, because the country has lived in the shadow of war for 40 years, and it will take a long time and a great effort, in order to unite everyone; and this will require the leadership of big".
"I think we need - as an international community - to show that there is support for this process, in order to maintain the stability of Afghanistan," he added.
The Qatari foreign minister said that the issue of freedom of travel was one of the urgent issues behind his recent visit to Kabul.