The Afghan government delegation concluded fruitful talks with the US side in the Qatari capital, Doha, and then began another meeting with representatives of the European Union.
Zabihullah Mujahid, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information in the interim government formed by the Taliban, said that the meetings with the American delegation were fruitful, expressing his hope that they would pave the way for the United States and the international community to recognize the new Afghan government.
The talks, which began on Saturday, are the first direct meeting between the Taliban and the Americans since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in late August.
The Afghan delegation, led by Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki, held meetings on Saturday with the US delegation headed by David Cohen, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
A proposal for intelligence coordination
Al-Jazeera correspondent Saeed Bukhafa said that there is talk about an offer made by the US delegation to the Taliban regarding a form of intelligence coordination between the two sides and the possibility of using some US bases in the region to launch strikes against the Islamic State in light of the escalation of the organization's attacks, including the bombing last Friday of a mosque for the Hazara minority In Kunduz Province (Northern Afghanistan), dozens of people were killed and wounded.
But he referred to previous statements by Taliban leaders that the authority in Kabul did not need help to contain the Islamic State.
On Saturday, the Associated Press quoted a spokesman for the Taliban's political office, Suhail Shaheen, as saying that the movement is capable of confronting ISIS alone, without cooperation with Washington.
Al-Jazeera correspondent stated that the Afghan-US talks also touched on Washington's demand to expand the Afghan government to include several spectrums in order to facilitate its obtaining international recognition.
For its part, the US State Department told Al Jazeera that Doha's meeting with the Taliban is not about granting recognition or legalizing the movement, adding that Washington's priority is to secure the Americans' exit from Afghanistan.
The Washington Post reported that David Cohen, the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, is leading the US delegation, which also includes the deputy envoy of the Secretary of State to Afghanistan, and a representative of the US Agency for International Development.
The newspaper added that the selection of this delegation came with the intention of engaging in discussions on terrorism, stressing that it has nothing to do with the recognition of the Taliban.
In parallel with the Afghan-US talks, the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki met with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha.
The two sides discussed bilateral relations and Qatar's readiness to implement economic projects in Afghanistan.
The Qatari Foreign Minister welcomed the Afghan delegation's meeting with international representatives.
In a related context, the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, received US Senator Robert Menendez, and they reviewed in their discussions the relations of cooperation and friendship between the two countries in the joint strategic areas, in addition to the developments in Afghanistan.