Afghan foreign minister heads for Qatar

KABUL: Afghanistan’s foreign minister is embarking on a visit to Qatar, where the Taliban are due to open an office ahead of possible peace talks, a spokesman for the ministry in Kabul said Monday.

Zalmai Rassoul will meet Qatari officials “to discuss reconciliation and talks with the Taliban”, the spokesman said.

The two-day trip, starting on Tuesday, is the first by a senior Afghan government minister to the Gulf state since the Taliban announced in early January that they would open an office in Doha to facilitate negotiations.