UPDATE - US, Taliban agree to draft peace framework: Envoy

CHANGES DECK, ADDS STATEMENT FROM KHALILZAD

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The U.S. and the Taliban have agreed in principle to a draft framework that could pave the way to resolving the country's decades-long conflict, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation said in remarks published Monday.

"We have the opportunity to avoid future tragedies, to bring the 40 years of war to an end, to a good end," Zalmay Khalilzad said in a statement, alluding to the timeline of the conflict, which began with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979.

The deal would see the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Central Asian country in exchange for sweeping concessions from the Taliban, including agreeing to a cease-fire and direct talks with the Afghan government, Khalilzad further told The New York Times.

The militant group had staunchly refused to sit down at the negotiating table with Kabul.

"We have a draft of the framework that has to be fleshed out before it becomes an agreement," said Khalilzad, who just returned to Afghanistan following six days of meetings with the Taliban in Doha, the capital of Qatar.

"The Taliban have committed, to our satisfaction, to do what is necessary that would prevent Afghanistan from ever becoming a platform for international terrorist groups or individuals."

Washington has been seeking to ensure that whatever happens in Afghanistan, the country is never again used as a safe haven for terrorists to plot attacks, like the devastating Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.

Khalilzad said the U.S. has sufficient confidence in the framework to continue working to flesh out its details.

"We are in a hurry for the sake of the Afghan people to end the violence as soon as we can. We cannot leave the situation in a state of uncertainty. We need to complete the process," Khalilzad said in a press release.

"I hope Afghans seize this opportunity to put political differences aside and deal with this moment positively and urgently," he added.

The Times cautioned that the framework is still preliminary but cited an anonymous senior U.S. official who said Taliban negotiators have gone back to the group's leadership to present the American requirements.

An unnamed Taliban official confirmed the agreement's details to the newspaper but appeared to distance the agreement's dependence on direct talks with the Afghan government or a cease-fire.

Khalilzad emphasized that he did not discuss any sort of interim government with the Taliban but stressed that the "key for finding the solutions for Afghan problems is at the hands of Afghans now".

*Umar Farooq contributed to this story