US terms meeting with Taliban 'candid and professional', says Taliban will be judged on its actions
This was the first official dialogue between the two sides since the Taliban took over the administration in Kabul.
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Washington DC, October 11: Terming its meeting with the senior Taliban government representative in Doha as “candid and professional”, the United States Department said that the Taliban would be judged on their actions, not just their words.
It should be noted that top US representative delegations traveled to Doha, Qatar, and held a first in-person meeting with the senior representative of the Taliban. This was the first official dialogue between the two sides since the Taliban took over the administration in Kabul.
According to the US state department, the meeting was much more focused on the security problems as well as human rights, particularly the inclusion of women in different sectors of Afghan society.
While briefing the press about the meeting the US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the U.S. delegation in the weekend talks in Doha, Qatar, focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for U.S. citizens, other foreign nationals and Afghans, as well as on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society.
The two sides also discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people.
"The discussions were candid and professional with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words," US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Taliban considered discussions with US representatives in Doha productive. According to the press release, the Taliban delegation urged the US to unfreeze Afghanistan's central bank reserves. It should be noted that Washington has frozen nearly $10 billion in Afghan assets, mainly deposited in the US federal reserve since the Taliban took over Afghanistan.
"The delegations of the Afghan government and the United States discussed turning the page on their relationship in Qatar as well as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and the implementation of the Doha peace agreement," Afghanistan's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said.
The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have also stopped the financial assistance and lending programs for Kabul, citing human rights concerns under Taliban rule.
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