Afghan leaders, Taliban meet for talks in Norway

OSLO, Norway, June 5 (UPI) -- Informal talks between representatives of Afghanistan and the Afghan Taliban are underway, a Taliban spokesman confirmed Friday.

Zabihullah Mjuahid, Taliban spokesman, stressed the talks in Norway involving the militant group and members of Afghan politics and civil society are informal and should not be regarded as peace talks. The office of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani acknowledged the negotiations but added "they are not representing the government of Afghanistan."

A Norwegian Foreign Ministry official said an element of Norway's policy is to facilitate talks such as these, whenever possible. As part of NATO's mission, Norway currently has troops in Afghanistan.

Local media reports indicate two women, Afghan lawmakers Shukria Barakzai and Fawzia Kofi, are in attendance. When the Taliban was in power in Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, women were denied basic civil rights.

Both sides have indicated the meeting could lead to further talks aimed at ending the conflict in Afghanistan. The Afghan government recently held talks with Taliban representatives in Doha, Qatar.