TALIBAN MEET REPRESENTATIVES OF EIGHT COUNTRIES INCLUDING US IN OSLO

Mon 24 January 2022:

Taliban and Western officials are meeting outside Oslo, Norway, for talks on Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis, which has worsened dramatically since the Taliban retook power last August, 20 years after being toppled in a US-led assault.

The closed-door discussions with representatives of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Norway are being held on Monday at the Soria Moria Hotel, on a snowy hilltop outside Oslo.

On Sunday, during the first day of the three-day talks, the Taliban met with Afghan civil society members, including women activists and journalists, for talks on human rights.

The Taliban has demanded that the US release its almost $10 billion in assets and that Afghanistan be linked to global trade.

Following the Taliban’s return to power on August 15, international aid came to a halt, worsening the plight of millions of people already starving as a result of severe droughts.

The freezing of Afghan central bank assets worth billions of dollars by the US and suspension of funds by international financial institutions have triggered a banking crisis and caused a near collapse of the Afghan economy.

“We are requesting them to unfreeze Afghan assets and not punish ordinary Afghans because of the political discourse,” Taliban delegate Shafiullah Azam told The Associated Press news agency, speaking at the end of the first day of talks.

“Because of the starvation, because of the deadly winter, I think it’s time for the international community to support Afghans, not punish them because of their political disputes.”

He also said the meetings with Western officials were “a step to legitimise (the) Afghan government”, adding that “this type of invitation and communication will help (the) European community, (the) US or many other countries to erase the wrong picture of the Afghan government”.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a tweet: “All Afghans need to work together for better political, economic and security outcomes.

“The participants … recognised that understanding and joint cooperation are the only solutions.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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