OSLO:
\nThe Taliban will hold talks with Western officials in Oslo next week on human rights and humanitarian aid in their first official visit to the West since returning to power, the Norwegian and Taliban governments said on Friday.
\nThe visit from Sunday to Tuesday will see meetings with \u201cNorwegian authorities and officials from a number of allied countries\u201d, including Britain, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy and the United States, it said.
\n\u201cWe are extremely concerned about the grave situation in Afghanistan, where millions of people are facing a full-blown humanitarian disaster,\u201d said Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt.
\nThe Taliban swept back to power in Afghanistan last summer as international troops withdrew after a two-decade presence.
\nA US-led invasion in late 2001 had toppled the Taliban in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
\nThe humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated drastically since August. International aid came to a sudden halt and the United States has frozen $9.5 billion (8.4 billion euros) in assets in the Afghan central bank.
\nFamine now threatens 23 million Afghans, or 55 per cent of the population, according to the United Nations, which says it needs $5 billion from donor countries this year to address the humanitarian crisis in the country.
\nThe Taliban said foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi would lead the delegation.
\n\u201cThis (visit) will open the way for talks, meetings and understanding with the countries of the European Union,\u201d government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.
\nTalks will also take place with representatives of Washington on \u201cpending issues\u201d like the release of the locked funds, he added.
\nNo recognition
\nStressing that Norway would be \u201cclear about our expectations\u201d, particularly on girls\u2019 education and human rights, Huitfeldt said the meetings would not represent a legitimisation or recognition of the Taliban.
\n\u201cBut 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,\u201d Huitfeldt said. The European Union announced on Thursday that it would re-establish a \u201cminimal presence\u201d of its staff in Kabul to facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid.
\nNo country has yet recognised the Taliban government. The international community is waiting to see how the Taliban intend to govern Afghanistan, after having largely trampled on human rights during their first stint in power between 1996 and 2001.
\nSeveral nations, including China, Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Iran have however kept their embassies in Kabul open since the Taliban victory last year.
\nWestern diplomats began to evacuate their personnel in the first half of 2021, when US troops began operations to withdraw permanently from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
The withdrawal culminated at the end of August with the chaotic evacuation of 120,000 people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OSLO: The Taliban will hold talks with Western officials in Oslo next week on human rights and humanitarian aid in their first official visit to the West since returning to power, the Norwegian and Taliban governments said on Friday. The visit from Sunday to Tuesday will see meetings with \u201cNorwegian authorities and officials from a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-240166","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n