Nargis Nehan, a 40-year-old women’s campaigner and former oil minister in Afghanistan, criticizes the ongoing Taliban meetings in Oslo. She said she herself did not thank the Foreign Ministry for the invitation.
– I did not expect much from these conversations, says Nehan to Vijay.
Between 2017 and 2019, he served as Minister of Petroleum and Energy in Afghanistan and held several key positions in the Government of Afghanistan.
When the Taliban captured Kabul last year So the former minister had to flee to Norway.
In the next few days, a 15-member Taliban group will arrive Meet many activists and diplomats at the Soria Moria Hotel in Oslo. Themes in the poster include emergency assistance and human rights.
Meetings attract attention, because it is For the first time a Western country is inviting representatives of the new Taliban government to visit.
– UN Nargis Nehan says it is an important event to help the Norwegian government show that they are doing something in the Security Council, but it will not help the people.
On the contrary, it means that we are losing our only bargaining chips – that is, the international community does not recognize the Taliban regime.
Nargis Nehan says neither she nor other Afghan activists are aware of the meetings that the Foreign Ministry has asked them to attend:
– None of us was consulted before the meetings were agreed upon, although they may have provided them with a comprehensive picture of the situation in Afghanistan. In my opinion, he says, all of this was organized in a very short notice.
Nargis Nehan was invited to negotiate with the Taliban, but he refused, the Foreign Ministry confirmed in an email to VG:
– We are well aware that these can be transactional. Afghanistan like Nargis Nehan show an important commitment. Secretary of State Henrik Dune says it is important to have strong and clear voices like hers.
– Many Afghans have asked for international support to liaise with the Taliban. We plan meetings thoroughly and consult closely with participants.
Beyond that, the State Department did not want to comment on Nehan’s statements.
Country in great crisis
An important background to the Taliban meetings is the UN “Complete humanitarian catastrophe” threatens the country.
Afghanistan was attacked last year Worst drought in 30 years Millions were deported by the Taliban. In addition, the country has been cut off from a significant amount of aid, As well as nearly ten billion dollars in the treasury, After the overthrow of the previous government.
This was also highlighted in a column by Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt VG was released on SaturdayIn it, he stressed that Norway does not want to legalize Taliban rule by calling on the Taliban:
– The alternative to involving them now, the worse the humanitarian crisis and the potential social collapse. Huitfeldt writes that this will have dire consequences for the Afghan people in the first place.
VG has previously spoken with activist Jamila Afghani, who believes it is necessary to negotiate with the Taliban. She herself had to leave Kabul.
Nargis Nehan says he has spoken to several Afghan activists who have agreed to attend the meetings, but has a slightly different perspective than them:
– They think they can put humanitarian problems first and fix the rest later. My concern is that it will be very difficult to solve other problems facing the country, he says.
The Taliban are using the humanitarian crisis to gain the support of the international community, but they do not want to return anything to their country.
Requests must be forwarded
The former oil minister did not believe it was wrong to negotiate with the Taliban, but tough demands should have been put forward before the meetings.
– The Taliban always come to its side with demands, without giving anything back. Instead of opening schools for girls and allowing them to participate in work life, they are concerned with controlling the population, Nehan says.
At their first press conference after the capture of Kabul, The Taliban said women should be allowed to study and work. Despite being “within the framework of the Taliban”.
However, in most parts of the country, women are not allowed to return to classrooms above the 7th grade. In a recent interview with AP The Taliban announced that it would take effect by March 21.
Most recently on Thursday, a group of women rights activists in Afghanistan announced that their homes had been attacked by armed Taliban militants and that many had been beaten and arrested. Defender.
– The international community continues to believe what the Taliban say without using the negotiation cards they have. Nehar says this is primarily in favor of the Taliban.
– There are no signs that they are open to change, he adds.
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