Sun 05 December 2021:
Several European Union countries are considering re-establishing a combined diplomatic mission in Afghanistan, according to French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday.
He was keen to remind out, however, that it “is a different approach than political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban.”
A number of issues had to be resolved, particularly security, for ambassadors to return, Macron said, hoping that a mission would open soon.
“We are thinking of an organisation between several European countries… a common location for several Europeans, which would allow our ambassadors to be present,” Macron told reporters in Qatar. The French President is on a two-day Gulf tour.
Western ambassadors pulled out of Afghanistan after the Taliban ousted the civilian government and took power in August.
Several Taliban ministers are subject to US and UN sanctions.
The French president asserted that this initiative would not signal political recognition or political dialogue with the Taliban.
In a statement following talks with the Taliban a week ago, the European Union suggested it could open a mission soon.
“The EU delegation underlined that the possibility of establishing a minimal presence on the ground in Kabul, which would not entail recognition, will directly depend on the security situation, as well as on effective decisions by the de facto authorities to allow the EU to ensure adequate protection of its staff and premises,” it said.
Afghanistan’s new rulers have appealed to the international community for diplomatic recognition and the lifting of sanctions, as they have struggled to revive the country’s economy cut off from international financial institutions. The country’s infrastructure was already in tatters due to decades of war and US-led military occupation.
The US has frozen nearly $10bn in Afghan central bank reserves and international financial institutions have suspended development funding for the country, plunging the heavily aid-dependent economy into crisis and leaving economists and aid groups warning of a humanitarian catastrophe.
With the winter season setting in, aid organisations have warned of a humanitarian crisis. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) described this week an “alarming” socioeconomic outlook for Afghanistan for the next 13 months.
In Afghanistan, more than 24 million people require life-saving assistance, a dramatic increase driven by political tumult, economic shocks, and severe food insecurity.
The UNDP has projected that poverty may become nearly universal by mid-2022.
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