The Taliban are beginning their first official trip to Europe, in a first that takes place in Norway, where a delegation from the Islamist movement which took power in Afghanistan last August has been received since Saturday January 22. With this first essential diplomatic step for a country which has a vital need for humanitarian aid, the Taliban will notably meet European and American officials on Monday 24 January.
With our correspondent in Stockholm, Frederic False
The Taliban delegation, 100% male, led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, wanted to show its openness on Sunday January 23. She met, behind closed doors, feminist activists near Oslo, one of them even emphasizing the goodwill of the Taliban.
But the discussions will perhaps be less jovial on Monday 24 and Tuesday 24 January when the new masters of Afghanistan will find themselves face to face with representatives of the United States, the European Union and countries like France, who still haven’t recognized their diet.
Hunger now threatens 23 million Afghans, more than half the population, according to the UN, which has called for $4.4 billion from donor countries. The Taliban are therefore asking for the return of humanitarian aid and the unfreezing of their assets.
Westerners, for their part, expect guarantees on the respect of human rights, and in particular that of women. Requirements which are also those of the demonstrators, and of many Afghan refugees, who are protesting in Oslo against the presence of the Taliban.
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