Kai Eide, a special representative for the United Nations, resigned last month following the breakdown of negotiations with the Taliban after Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the Afghan Taliban’s top leaders, was arrested in Pakistan. Eide stated that the United Nations had begun talks with the Taliban for the past year consistent with Western Europe’s push for a settlement. However, western officials recognize that no settlement will likely be achieved without the United States’ full support in pushing the talks forward as well as positive involvement of key neighboring countries such as Pakistan, Iran, and India.
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