Ambassador Alice Wells on the Enduring U.S. Presence in Afghanistan.

The senior U.S. diplomat for South and Central Asia, Ambassador Alice Wells, urged Afghanistan’s Taliban to carefully consider last week’s offer by President Ashraf Ghani to hold direct peace negotiations. “It is a positive sign” that the Taliban have not rejected Ghani’s proposal, Wells said—and a planned regional conference in Tashkent this month should rally international support for Ghani’s offer of a political settlement with the insurgency.

In this excerpt from her speech, Ambassador Wells explains the steadfast American commitment to Afghanistan, and says that the legitimate path for the Taliban to resolve their grievances is through negotiations.

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The United States Institute of Peace works to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict around the world. USIP does this by engaging directly in conflict zones and by providing analysis, education, and resources to those working for peace. Created by Congress in 1984 as an independent, nonpartisan, federally funded organization, USIP’s more than 300 staff work at the Institute’s D.C. headquarters, and on the ground in the world’s most dangerous regions.