The Afghan government negotiating team has left Kabul for UAE to talk peace with the Taliban representatives, the Chief Executive Office said Monday.

The CEO spokesman Mujib Rahman Ariz said that the Afghan government’s delegation will talk with representatives from the United States, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban in Abu Dhabi regarding the peace process.

The official said that the regional countries have also pledged of supporting the Afghan government’s peace talks with the Taliban.

The Taliban, however, said that their representatives will only talk with representatives of the U.S., UAE and Saudi Arabia. 

Reports suggest, the Taliban will have specific recommendations to the U.S. delegation led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in their meeting in Saudi Arabia including the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, removal of the Taliban leaders’ name from the UN sanctions’ list, release of the armed group’s prisoners, and amendment in the Afghanistan’s constitution as preconditions for direct talks with the Afghan government.

Sardar Mohammad Nader Nayeem, a member of the High Peace Council said both sides – the government and the Taliban – have reached to the decision that none of them can win the ongoing war and that a political settlement is the only solution to end the 17 years of conflict.

This comes as the Taliban-U.S. representatives met today in UAE to discuss the Afghan peace process, following two rounds of talks in Qatar.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman of the Taliban in a statement on Sunday said that representatives from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the UAE will also attend the meeting.  

Separately, the office the National Security Council said that Abu Dhabi hosted the 4th round of quadrilateral meetings on Sunday between Afghanistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The sides discussed Afghanistan’s roadmap for peace presented at Geneva and direct engagement of the Afghan government with Taliban for intra-Afghan dialogue.