Talks in Doha
USA calls first meeting with Taliban “open and professional”
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Chan Motaki
© Hoshang Hashimi / AFP
Less than two months after taking power in Afghanistan, the US and the Taliban met for talks in Doha. The US government stressed that the talks were not a sign of the legitimacy of the Taliban.
“Open and professional” is how the USA described the first talks with the militant Islamist Taliban. It was the first face-to-face meeting since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan.
At the weekend meeting in the Qatari capital Doha, the US delegation focused on security and terrorism issues, among other things, the US State Department announced on Sunday. It was also about the safe exit of US citizens, other foreign nationals and Afghan employees.
Another issue had been human rights, including the significant 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. In the talks, the US delegation emphasized that “the Taliban would be judged on their actions and not just on their words,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
Talks should not be about legitimizing the Taliban
The militant Islamist Taliban had conquered large parts of the country after the withdrawal of the international NATO troops. On August 15, they entered the capital Kabul without a fight and have been ruling ever since. Your government is confronted with numerous problems and the country is threatened with an economic collapse.
The US State Department said on Friday that the talks in Doha would not be about recognizing or legitimizing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Rather, it is a continuation of the “pragmatic” talks on questions of US national interest.