Trump says peace deal with Taleban 'very close'

[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump said Thursday that the United States is "very close" to a peace deal with the Taleban guerrillas in Afghanistan.

"I think we're very close. I think there's a good chance that we'll have a deal and we'll see," he told Geraldo Rivera's Roadkill radio show.

"That doesn't mean we'll have one but we'll know over the next two weeks," he said.

Mr Trump spoke amid growing signs of agreement on a week-long "reduction of violence."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on the way to the Munich Security Conference, where he is expected to meet Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, that talks had "made real progress over the past couple of days."

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said after a Nato meeting in Brussels that the two sides have "negotiated a proposal for a seven-day reduction in violence."

Mr Trump was not clear if he was talking about the proposed limited pause in hostilities or something broader.

"We're having very good dialogue, we'll see and we'll know over the next week or two," he said. The Taleban, "they'd like to make a deal, too."

AFP