Taliban representatives will be certain to press their demand that nearly $10 billion frozen by the United States be released as Afghanistan faces a precarious humanitarian situation.
Special Representative for Afghanistan Nigel Casey, right, shakes hands with Taliban representative Amir Khan Muttaqi, center, ahead of a meeting in Oslo, Norway, Monday.
"We are requesting them to unfreeze Afghan assets and not punish ordinary Afghans because of the political discourse," said Taliban delegate Shafiullah Azam on Sunday night."Because of the starvation, because of the deadly winter, I think it's time for the international community to support Afghans, not punish them because of their political disputes."
The three-day talks opened on Sunday with direct meetings between the Taliban and civil society representatives. Faced with the Taliban's request for funds, Western powers are likely to put the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan high on their agenda, along with the West's recurring demand for the Taliban administration to share power with Afghanistan's minority ethnic and religious groups.
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