The next conference on peace in Afghanistan is set for sometime in April, to be hosted by Turkey. Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, called it a unique opportunity for peace and that he hopes it will help form an agreement on a ceasefire in the country. “My hope is, my desire is, that we make maximum use of every opportunity which is there. Turkey will be a unique opportunity after quite a while, but it depends on both sides. I cannot call all the shots,” Abdullah said in an interview with France24. “As far as our delegation which will participate ... they will go with the firm resolve to contribute to the success of that process so the Turkey meeting will be considered a big step forward,” Abdullah said.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated during an interview on CNN on March 28 the administration’s position that U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan with NATO. “We’ve been very clear, and NATO has been very clear, that the approach that we’re taking to this is we went in together, we’ve adapted to circumstances together and we will come out together when the time is right,” Blinken said. “And what we’re focused on now is looking at the May 1 deadline.”