OSLO
\nWestern diplomats Tuesday linked humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to an improvement in human rights after meeting a Taliban delegation on a landmark visit to Europe.
\nOn the final day of the first official trip to Europe since returning to power in August, the Taliban held talks behind closed doors with several Western diplomats, seeking international recognition and financial aid.
\nThe European Union\u00b4s special envoy to Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, wrote on Twitter that he had \u201cunderlined the need for primary and secondary schools to be accessible for boys and girls throughout the country when the school year starts in March\u201d.
\nAt the United Nations in New York, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the talks appeared to have been \u201cserious\u201d and \u201cgenuine\u201d. \u201cWe made clear we want to see girls back in school in March, also those above 12.
\nHe was responding to a tweet from a spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry hailing the EU\u00b4s commitment to \u201ccontinue its humanitarian aid to Afghanistan\u201d. The Taliban delegation, led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, met senior French foreign ministry official Bertrand Lotholary, Britain\u00b4s special envoy Nigel Casey, and members of the Norwegian foreign ministry.<\/p>\n
We want to see humanitarian access,\u201d he said. The Taliban have hailed this week\u00b4s talks — held in a hotel near Oslo — as a step toward international recognition. The Taliban foreign minister, speaking on the sidelines of Monday\u00b4s talks, said: \u201cNorway providing us this opportunity is an achievement in itself because we shared the stage with the world.\u201d \u201cFrom these meetings, we are sure of getting support for Afghanistan\u2019s humanitarian, health and education sectors,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
sThe Norwegian prime minister said he knew many were troubled by the meeting in Oslo but said it was the first step to avoid \u201chumanitarian disaster\u201d. \u201cThe alternative to leave Afghanistan, one million children, at the danger of starving… that is no option. We have to deal with the world as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norwegian state secretary Henrik Thune earlier said: \u201cThis is not the beginning of an… open-ended process.\u201d \u201cWe are going to place tangible demands that we can follow up on and see if they have been met\u201d, he told Norwegian news agency NTB ahead of his talks with the delegation on Tuesday evening. Following the talks, the Taliban left Norway late Tuesday without making any further statements.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Jan Egeland, told AFP before sitting down with the Taliban and other non-governmental organisations: \u201cWe cannot save lives unless all the sanctions are lifted.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OSLO Western diplomats Tuesday linked humanitarian aid to Afghanistan to an improvement in human rights after meeting a Taliban delegation on a landmark visit to Europe. On the final day of the first official trip to Europe since returning to power in August, the Taliban held talks behind closed doors with several Western diplomats, seeking […]<\/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-241144","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n