MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax) - An Afghan delegation led by former president Hamid Karzai said in a statement that it expects the meeting on Afghanistan in Moscow on February 5-6 to help launch peace talks and complement the efforts the United States is making to this end.
"Our goal from attending the Moscow talks is to start the intra-Afghan talks process [with the Taliban]," the delegation said.
"Considering the peace efforts by the United States, we hope that the Moscow meeting will prove helpful and complementary for encouraging a national and regional consensus and for supporting the U.S. efforts," it said.
"We see the Moscow talks as an important opportunity for beginning intra-Afghan talks and we are looking forward to positive achievements and continuance in this process," it said.
"Therefore, we ask the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to, by participation of its authoritative representatives, play its constructive role for achieving a sustainable peace in the country," it said.
The delegation also said it insisted on "ceasefire amid the start of intra-Afghan talks" and "on maintaining (keeping) a powerful and democratic central government."
At the negotiations in Moscow, the delegation will reaffirm its support for "the U.S. efforts for the (Afghan) peace process led by [U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation] Zalmay Khalilzad," it said.
The delegation encouraged Russia "and other countries in the region towards creating a political consensus at regional and international levels in supporting the Afghan peace process."
A source had told Interfax earlier that the delegation intended to hold talks with members of the Taliban (banned in Russia) in Moscow.
"A high-ranking intra-Afghan delegation led by Karzai is going to Moscow for talks," the source said.
"The Taliban has refused to negotiate with the government, so the dialogue will be conducted by a delegation of Afghan politicians and public figures," he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Taliban officially confirmed its intention to participate in the conference in Moscow. Suhail Shaheen, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Qatar, said the delegation would be led by Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai, who represented the Taliban at talks in Moscow in December 2018.