April 19 (UPI) -- A weekend peace conference in Qatar seeking a first-of-its kind agreement between the Afghanistan government and the Taliban has been abruptly canceled over concerns about who would be at the meeting.
For months, Taliban, Afghan and U.S. officials have been in discussions to bring an end to the 17-year presence of American forces in the Mideast nation. Tensions between the Kabul government and the Taliban, however, have slowed the process. U.S. officials hoped the two-day conference this weekend would jump start direct negotiations between the two sides. It was reported the Taliban balked at the nearly 200 people the Afghan government wanted to bring.