OSLO: In their first visit to Europe since returning to power, the Taliban held landmark talks with Western diplomats in Oslo on Monday about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where millions are suffering from hunger. The international community has however insisted the Taliban must respect human rights before aid can resume to the country.
Having accepted a controversial invitation from Norway, the Taliban began talks just after 0930 GMT with representatives of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Norway.
The closed-door discussions are being held at the Soria Moria Hotel, on a snowy hilltop outside Oslo, with the Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian situation has deteriorated drastically since last August when the fundamentalists stormed back to power 20 years after being toppled. International aid came to a sudden halt, worsening the plight of millions of people already suffering from hunger after several severe droughts.
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Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan, tweeted on Sunday: “As we seek to address humanitarian crisis together with allies, partners, and relief orgs, we will continue clear-eyed diplomacy with the Taliban regarding our concerns and our abiding interest in a stable, rights-respecting and inclusive Afghanistan.”
The Taliban meanwhile hope that meetings of this kind will help legitimise their government.
No country has yet recognised the Taliban regime. Norway has stressed that the talks would “not represent a legitimisation or recognition of the Taliban”.
“But we must talk to the de facto authorities in the country. We cannot allow the political situation to lead to an even worse humanitarian disaster,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt stressed last week. Members of the Afghan diaspora have criticised the Norwegian invitation, and several protests have been held outside the foreign ministry in Oslo.
Since August, international aid, which financed around 80 percent of the Afghan budget, has been suspended and the United States has frozen $9.5 billion in assets in the Afghan central bank.
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