On the eve of talks with Western diplomats, the Taliban "broken the ice" this Sunday in Oslo with members of Afghan civil society during discussions focusing in particular on human rights.

Led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban delegation – the first to visit Europe since their return to power in August – met behind closed doors with feminist activists and journalists in particular, at the Soria Moria hotel , on a snowy hill near Oslo.

One of the feminist activists, Jamila Afghani, spoke of “a positive meeting to break the ice”.

"The Taliban have shown goodwill," she said.

Let's see if their actions will follow their words.

The participants stressed "that all Afghans must work together for a political, economic and security improvement in the country", also tweeted the spokesman of the Islamist government, Zabihullah Mujahid, in what he presented as a " joint declaration”.

They also recognized that "understanding and joint cooperation are the only solutions to all the problems of Afghanistan", he said.

Humanitarian emergency

The humanitarian emergency in Afghanistan and human rights are at the heart of this three-day visit as millions of people are threatened by hunger in the country deprived of international aid and affected by several droughts. No state has so far recognized the government of the Taliban, Islamist fundamentalists ousted from power in 2001 but who regained control of the country last August after a lightning offensive. These discussions “do not constitute legitimization or recognition,” Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said on Friday. "But we have to talk to the authorities who are de facto running the country."

On Monday, the delegation will meet representatives of the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the European Union, before bilateral contacts with the Norwegian authorities on Tuesday.

“While seeking to resolve the humanitarian crisis with our allies, partners and humanitarian organizations, we will pursue a lucid diplomacy with the Taliban (dictated by) our abiding interest in a stable, rights-respecting and inclusive Afghanistan,” he tweeted. US Special Representative Thomas West on Sunday.

No foreign aid since August

Since August, international aid, which financed about 80% of the Afghan budget, has stopped and the United States has frozen $9.5 billion in assets of the Afghan Central Bank. Unemployment has skyrocketed and civil servants' salaries have not been paid for months. Hunger now threatens 23 million Afghans, or 55% of the population, according to the UN, which has requested 4.4 billion dollars from donor countries this year. “It would be a mistake to inflict collective punishment on Afghans just because the de facto authorities are not behaving well,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Friday.

The international community, however, is waiting to see how the Islamist fundamentalists govern, having trampled on human rights during their first stint in power between 1996 and 2001. Despite promises, women are largely excluded from public sector jobs and secondary schools for girls mostly remain closed.

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Posters urging women to wear the hijab plastered across Kabul

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The Taliban prohibit women from traveling without a companion

  • World

  • Womens rights

  • Afghanistan

  • Taliban

  • Oslo

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