Qatar says U.S., Taliban make progress in marathon talks

DOHA, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Qatar on Tuesday announced that the United States and Taliban have made progress in their longest round of negotiations in Doha to end a 17-year-old war in a strife-torn Afghanistan.

The two sides agreed on a four-point draft comprehensive peace deal to be implemented in accordance with time frames and conditions to be agreed upon, according to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA).

The talks between Taliban and U.S. diplomats have lasted longer than any previous negotiations between the two sides since U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in 2001.

It is unclear, however, if the Afghan government and other Afghan political leaders will be ready to embrace the tentative deal worked out by U.S. presidential envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

QNA said the talks between the two sides focused on key issues, including the withdrawal of U.S. and coalition forces from Afghanistan, while Taliban pledged not to allow the use of Afghan territories to undermine the security of the United States, any of its allies or any other country.

In statements on his Twitter account, Khalilzad said that the conditions for peace have improved.

"It's clear all sides want to end the war. Despite ups and downs, we kept things on track and made real strides," Khalilzad said, adding that another round is possible later this month after 16 days of negotiations in Qatar's capital, Doha.

Khalilzad, however, said "there is no final agreement until everything is agreed."