Taliban to Meet Western Officials in Norway for Aid Talks

In their first formal visit to the West since regaining power, the Taliban will meet with Western officials in Oslo next week to discuss human rights and humanitarian help, the Norwegian and Taliban administrations announced Friday.

Meetings with "Norwegian authorities and officials from a number of allied nations," including the United Kingdom, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, and the United States, will take place from Sunday through Tuesday.

"We are deeply concerned about the dire situation in Afghanistan, where millions of people are experiencing a full-fledged humanitarian catastrophe," Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt stated.

Last summer, the Taliban came back to power in Afghanistan, following the withdrawal of international troops after a two-decade presence.

In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the Taliban were deposed by a US-led invasion in late 2001.

Since August, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated dramatically. International help has come to a halt, and the US has frozen assets in the Afghan central bank worth $9.5 billion (8.4 billion euros).

According to the United Nations, famine currently threatens 23 million Afghans, or 55 percent of the population, and the government needs $5 billion from donor countries this year to handle the humanitarian situation.

The mission will be led by Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister.

"This (visit) will pave the road for negotiations, consultations, and understanding with European Union countries," Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesperson, told AFP.

He stated that talks with representatives from Washington will take place on "outstanding problems" such as the release of the frozen cash.