New Delhi: The United States said on Sunday that the first direct talks with the Taliban were “clear and professional” since the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. However, the US said that the Taliban will not be judged by their words, but by their actions.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told Reuters that the US delegation visiting Doha for talks with the Taliban was focused on security and terrorism concerns and a safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and Afghans. The US placed further emphasis on human rights, thus asking the Taliban to respect the rights of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society.
“The talks with the US delegation were clear and professional, reiterating that the Taliban will be judged not only by its actions, but also by its words,” Price told Reuters in its report.
Price said the US provision for direct humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan was also discussed during the talks.
However, there was no statement regarding any conclusive agreement between the US and the Taliban.
What did the Taliban say?
The United States has agreed to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. However, it refused to give political recognition to the country’s new Taliban rulers, the Taliban informed the AP.
Earlier on Saturday, Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaki was quoted by Al-Jazeera in its TV report as saying that Taliban representatives had asked the US delegation to impose sanctions on Afghan central bank reserves.
The Taliban also warned the US not to “destabilize” the regime. “We told him very clearly that trying to destabilize the government in Afghanistan is not good for anyone,” Muttaki was quoted as saying by the Afghan state news agency Bakhtar in its report.
AFP quoted him in its report as “good relations with Afghanistan are good for all. Nothing should be done to undermine the current government in Afghanistan which may cause problems for the people.”
(with inputs from agencies)
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