Washington (Agencies): US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that he would sign a peace deal with the Taliban if one were eventually reached in Afghanistan, but insisted that his decision contingent on the progress during the week of reduced violence, which began on Saturday.
Trump’s comments came after a partial truce took effect in Afghanistan on Saturday, which is intended to set conditions for Washington and the Taliban to sign a deal in Doha on February 29 that could ultimately lead to a withdrawal of US forces after more than 18 years.
“Yes,” he told reporters at the White House as he prepared to depart on a trip to India. “I would put my name on it,” he added. Trump was not specific about what document he would be willing to sign but said decisions were contingent on progress during the initial truce.
He said the cooling off period has been holding up. “It’s a day and a half. We’ll see what happens. I want to see how this period of a week works out,” he added.
“If it works out over the next less-than-a-week, I would put my name on it. Time to come home. And they want to stop,” he said. “I think the Taliban want to make a deal too. They’re tired of fighting.”
