OSLO — On their first visit to Europe since returning
to power, the
Taliban held landmark talks with Western diplomats in Oslo on
Monday over the humanitarian crisis in
Afghanistan, a meeting the Islamist
regime's delegation called an "achievement in itself".
اضافة اعلان
The international community has however insisted the Taliban
must respect human rights before aid can be resumed to Afghanistan, where
hunger threatens more than half population.
Having accepted a controversial invitation from
Norway, the
Taliban were holding talks on Monday with representatives of the US, France,
Britain, Germany, Italy, the EU, and Norway.
The closed-door discussions were taking place at the Soria
Moria Hotel, on a snowy hilltop outside Oslo, with the Taliban delegation led
by Foreign Minister
Amir Khan Muttaqi, who hailed the fact that the meeting
took place as a success in its own right.
"Norway providing us this opportunity is an achievement
in itself because we shared the stage with the world," Muttaqi told
reporters Monday.
"From these meetings we are sure of getting support for
Afghanistan's humanitarian, health and education sectors," he added.
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.
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."
Criticism against Norway
No country has yet recognized the Taliban regime which hopes
that meetings of this kind will help legitimize their government.
Norway's Foreign Minister
Anniken Huitfeldt has stressed the
talks would "not represent a legitimization or recognition of the
Taliban", but because of the humanitarian emergency "we must talk to
the de facto authorities in the country".
Experts and members of the Afghan diaspora have criticised
the Norwegian invitation to the Taliban, and protests have been held outside
the foreign ministry in the capital.
In Kabul, Wahida Amiri, an activist who has protested
regularly in Kabul since the Taliban's return, told AFP she was "sorry for
such a country as Norway for organising this summit, sitting with terrorists,
and making deals".
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.
Unemployment has skyrocketed and civil servants' salaries
have not been paid for months in the country.
Hunger now threatens 23 million Afghans, or 55 percent of
the population, according to the United Nations, which says it needs $4.4
billion from donor countries this year to address the crisis.
But the international community is waiting to see how the
Taliban intend to govern after being accused of trampling on human rights
during their first stint in power between 1996 and 2001.
'They heard us'
While the Islamists claim to have modernized, women are
still largely excluded from public-sector employment and most secondary schools
for girls remain closed.
Two women activists disappeared last week in Kabul. The
Taliban have denied responsibility.
Before meeting with the Taliban, the Western diplomats held
talks early Monday with members of Afghanistan's civil society, including women
activists and journalists, who had themselves held talks the day before with
the hardline Islamists on human rights.
One of those in attendance, women's rights activist Jamila
Afghani, told AFP "it was a positive icebreaking meeting" where the
Taliban "displayed goodwill", but it remained to be seen "what
their actions will be".
On Monday, another woman activist who took part in Oslo,
Mahbouba Seraj, said the Taliban "acknowledged us and they heard us".
"I'm hopeful. I'm hoping for some kind of an
understanding of each other", she told reporters.
Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted
after their talks that "the participants recognised that understanding and
joint cooperation are the only solutions".
Among the 15 members of the all-male Taliban delegation was
Anas Haqqani, a leader of the most feared and violent faction of the Taliban
movement, the Haqqani network blamed for some of the most devastating attacks
in Afghanistan.
His participation has been heavily criticized on social
media and local media reported a Norwegian-Afghan has filed a police complaint
in Oslo against Haqqani for war crimes.
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