“Afghanistan agrees with negotiations between United States of America and the Taleban which will result in the establishment of an office for Taleban in Qatar,” a presidential statement said.

It said the government agrees with the establishment of the office because it could lead to an end of the bloody Afghan conflict.

The likelihood that the Taleban will remain a potent fighting force after most foreign forces leave by the end of 2014 is driving the US and NATO to seek even an incomplete bargain with the insurgents that would keep them talking with the Kabul government.

On Tuesday, the Taleban announced that they had reached a preliminary understanding to open the representative office, an unprecedented step toward peace negotiations that might lead to a winding down of the 10-year conflict.

In the past, the group has publicly opposed peace offers. The insurgents, who perceive themselves as winning the war, have repeatedly said they would not engage in talks with the government while foreign troops remain on Afghan soil.

Conducting talks with the US through the office in Qatar, while keeping the Afghan government indirectly involved, could be a formula for satisfying that demand.