Taliban, Western officials meet in Oslo to discuss Afghanistan | Taliban Stories

Taliban and Western diplomats convene a meeting outside the Norwegian capital Oslo to discuss Afghanistan. human problems, which has grown significantly since last August when the Taliban regained power 20 years after being overthrown in a US-led offensive.

Closed-door talks with representatives of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, the European Union and Norway are taking place Monday at the Soria Moria Hotel, on the fifth hill outside Oslo.

Sunday, on time first day During the three-day talks, the Taliban met with Afghan people, including women activists and the media, to discuss human rights.

Women’s rights activist Jamila Afghani, who took part in the talks on Sunday, told AFP reporters “it was a very good meeting”.

The Taliban “have shown interest … Let’s see what happens, based on their word”, he said.

The 15 members of the men’s delegation arrived on Saturday on a flight chartered by the Norwegian government.

Store the goods

The Taliban have demanded that the US $ 10bn of US-owned assets be released and that Afghanistan be linked to international trade.

International aid stopped following the return of the Taliban on August 15, which exacerbated the problem of millions of people who are already starving after a severe drought.

Afghanistan’s multi-billion dollar bank collapse in the US and the suspension of money by financial institutions around the world have caused a banking crisis and led to the economic collapse of Afghanistan.

“We urge them to end Afghanistan’s economy and not to punish civilians in Afghanistan for political reasons,” Taliban spokesman Shafiullah Azam told the Associated Press, speaking at the end of the first day of talks.

“Because of the famine, because of the cold weather, I think it’s time for countries to be able to help the people of Afghanistan, not punish them for their political conflicts.”

He asserted that his confession had been obtained through torture, and that his confession had been obtained through torture. .

However, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt had earlier stressed that the talks “were not” acceptable or recognizable to the Taliban “.

The US delegation, led by Afghanistan’s Special Representative Tom West, is planning to discuss “the formation of a representative political party; solutions to economic and financial problems; security concerns and terrorism; and human rights, especially the education of girls and women ”, according to the US State Department.

Protests against the Taliban

On Sunday, 200 protesters gathered at a rally in front of the Norwegian Foreign Ministry in Oslo to protest rallies with the Taliban, who had not received official recognition from any foreign government.

“The Taliban have not changed as some countries claim,” said Ahman Yasir, a Norwegian of Afghanistan who has lived in Norway for nearly 20 years.

Fawzia Koofi, a former deputy speaker of parliament in Afghanistan who is also involved in talks with the Taliban, told Al Jazeera that the talks here only serve to strengthen the party’s strength.

Opponents have staged protests against the visit of Taliban representatives outside the Norwegian Foreign Ministry to Oslo. [Torstein Bøe/NTB via Reuters]

“While there is a great deal of disagreement and the political party in Afghanistan has not done enough to bring about a united front, the talks will weaken our minds and strengthen the Taliban,” he said. he said.

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

“Participants … realized that understanding and collaboration are the only ways.”

Since taking office in mid-August, the Taliban have imposed common restrictions, many of which are aimed at women, many of whom have been banned from certain occupations outside the health and education sectors.

High school girls are locked up in their homes as schools are not open. Last week, the Taliban promised that all girls would return to school by the end of March.

However, the Taliban failed to lift the burqa, which was mandatory when they ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s.

The Taliban have been charged with felony criminal mischief for firing on a sculpture with a shotgun, according to The Associated Press.