Doha
USA and Taliban praise meetings after the change of power in Kabul
Amir Chan Motaki, Foreign Minister of the Taliban’s new cabinet. Photo: Muhammad Farooq / AP / dpa
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For the first time since the militant Islamist Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, representatives of the USA and the Islamists have officially met for talks.
The US has described the first personal talks with representatives of the militant Islamist Taliban since they came to power in Afghanistan as “open and professional”.
At the two-day meeting over the weekend in the Qatari capital Doha, the US delegation focused on security and terrorism issues, among other things, the US State Department announced on Sunday (local time). It was also about the safe exit of US citizens, other foreign nationals and Afghan local workers.
Another issue had been human rights, including the participation of women and girls in all areas of Afghan society. Both sides had also talked about stable US humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan, it said.
According to a statement released by the Taliban on Monday at the meeting, US officials said they would provide humanitarian aid to Afghans and support the work of humanitarian organizations. The country is facing a massive humanitarian crisis and possible economic collapse. The Taliban welcomed the promise of aid and stated that they wanted to work with aid organizations to provide aid in a transparent manner.
The Islamist delegation also said that humanitarian aid should not be linked to political issues, the statement said. Observers interpreted this statement in such a way that the Taliban agreed not to associate the promise of humanitarian aid with recognition of their regime.
The US State Department said on Friday that the talks in Doha would not be about formal recognition or legitimation of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rather, it is a continuation of the “pragmatic” talks on questions of national interest to the United States. Washington and other Western countries are struggling to deal appropriately with the new rulers in Kabul.
“Taliban not judged by their words only”
In the talks, the US delegation emphasized that “the Taliban would be judged by their deeds and not just by their words,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ned Price.
The Taliban also said that the weekend dialogue had “gone well”. The “open” round of talks was a good opportunity for understanding and it was agreed that such talks would also be held in the future if necessary. Efforts should be made to restore diplomatic relations to a better state.
After the withdrawal of the international NATO troops, the Taliban had conquered large parts of the country. On August 15, they entered the capital Kabul without a fight and have been ruling ever since. Your government is facing numerous problems. A serious humanitarian crisis is looming, the UN sees the economy on the verge of collapse. A drought in the country and the upcoming winter with rising fuel prices exacerbated the situation.