AKIPRESS.COM - A key peace gathering has opened in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad in which four major countries — Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States — hope to lay the roadmap for peace talks with the Taliban.

The gathering began on Monday morning with words of caution from the host Pakistan, which is seen as key to bringing the warring Taliban factions to the table, AP reports.

Sartaj Aziz, advisor to the Pakistani prime minister on foreign affairs, warned against prematurely deciding which Taliban factions are ready to talk, urging instead "confidence building" measures to get even the recalcitrant Taliban to the negotiating table.