PESHAWAR: After the second day of talks in Oslo, the Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, said that ‘the Taliban are trying to build a more inclusive government; however, he said that the world has to explain the definition of inclusive government.
Muttaqi told the BBC: “If an inclusive government means that all ethnic groups should be made part of the government then they have already included all. If it means that all provinces should have representation, then the Taliban cabinet represents every part of Afghanistan.”
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On an “important” day of the Norway talks, Afghan Taliban representatives held face-to-face talks with representatives of Western countries. The officials said that today (Tuesday) is the third and final day of talks in the Norwegian capital Oslo. Amir Khan Muttaqi termed the meetings “constructive”.
Afghanistan’s frozen assets and the formation of an inclusive government were among the key issues discussed, BBC has reported. The details of the meeting have not been released, but it has been reported that issues relating to Taliban government’s recognition by the international community and women rights were also discussed during the talks.
This was the Taliban’s first meeting with Western envoys in a European country since taking power on 15 August last year. The BBC report said that on both sides are hopeful that the summit will bring them closer to their goals. But there was criticism that all the cabinet members are male religious scholars and there was no women representation.
Shafi Azam, a member of the Taliban delegation, told the BBC that the atmosphere was “positive” and claimed that the two sides had agreed on a number of issues, including women’s education, the banking sector and the economy. Azam added that several issues will be discussed in detail on Tuesday and expressed the hope that the Afghan delegation will return with several achievements. This is the first meeting of the Taliban with European and American officials in a European country.