Senior government official says Afghan talks in jeopardy

KABUL, Afghanistan – A senior government official says Afghan-to-Afghan peace talks are in jeopardy.

The talks scheduled for Friday between Afghan and Taliban officials at the same table for the first time have been considered a significant first step toward finding a negotiated end to Afghanistan’s protracted war.

The senior official says negotiations went awry after President Ashraf Ghani opposed a list of participants announced by the Qatar government, which is sponsoring the talks. The list of 243 people was announced by Qatar on Thursday.

The list differs in part from Ghani’s list of 250 people, according to the senior government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The Taliban have so far refused comment.

Source: Fox News World