Taliban hopes Oslo talks with West will ‘transform atmosphere of war’ in Afghanistan
- Headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi, the delegation is the first to hold official talks with the West on European soil since seizing power in Afghanistan
- The talks will open on Sunday and on Monday, the Taliban will meet representatives from the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Union
A Taliban delegation arrived on Saturday in Norway for three days of talks with Western diplomats and members of Afghan civil society, which it hopes will help “transform the atmosphere of war” in Afghanistan.
Footage broadcast by the Verdens Gang newspaper online showed a plane, chartered by the Norwegian government and carrying 15 representatives of the hardline Islamist government, landing at the Oslo airport in the evening.
Headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi, the delegation is the first to hold official talks with the West on European soil since seizing power in Afghanistan.
The Taliban stormed back to power in August as US and foreign troops began their final withdrawal from the country following a stalemate on the battlefield.
No country has yet recognised the Taliban’s government – notorious for human rights abuses during a first stint in power between 1996 and 2001 when they were ousted by a US-led invasion.
“The Islamic Emirate has taken steps for meeting the demands of the Western world and we hope to strengthen our relations through diplomacy with all the countries, including European countries and the West in general,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Agence France-Presse on Saturday.
The Taliban want to “transform the atmosphere of war … into a peaceful situation”.
