EU Says Engagement with Islamic Emirate to Be ‘Conditional’
[ToloNews] The European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the engagement with the Islamic Emirate is necessary, but added that that it should be conditional.
Speaking at a presser, Borrel said the conditions for engagement consist of the five benchmarks that EU had highlighted in September, and the Islamic Emirate should make progress on those benchmarks.
"We share with Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
the understanding that some operational engagement with the interim government is necessary, but without granting them any legitimacy," he said. "This engagement has to be conditional on progress made by the Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
along the five benchmarks that we defined back in September."
On September 3, EU Foreign Ministers in a meeting in Slovenia set five benchmarks that lay the foundation for the bloc’s engagement with the Islamic Emirate.
The following are the benchmarks that the Islamic Emirate must reach:
• Afghanistan should not serve as a base for the export of terrorism to other countries
• Respect for human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal
liberty...
, especially women’s rights, the rule of law and freedom of media
• Formation of an inclusive and representative government
• Allow free access to humanitarian aid
provided by the EU• Provide safe passage for foreign nationals and at-risk Afghans
Borrel said he had spoken with Qatar Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani about the situation in Afghanistan. Qatar plays a key role in the EU’s engagement with the Islamic Emirate, he said.
"As you know, Qatar plays a strategic role in dealing with the situation in Afghanistan on various tracks. It facilitates our interactions with the Taliban interim authorities, it ensures safe passage for those in need, facilitates the delivery of humanitarian support," he said.
Borrel also said the EU will expand its cooperation with its partners in Central Asia, adding that Afghanistan is also important in that matter.
We won’t release Afghanistan’s assets for three reasons: US
[KhaamaPress] White House has again denied the release of over $9.5 billion of Afghanistan’s frozen fund and said that this was a complicated process and will not allow the Taliban to access the money.
Spokeswoman of the White House Jen Psaki reacted to the recent statements of Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister over the release of funds and added that the decision will be made after consulting allies.
Jen Psaki named the following three reasons for not releasing the assets,
- Families of the victims of September 11 have made plea for the money to be given to them. The plea is important one.
- US still recognized the Taliban as a terror group and most of the officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan are in black list of UN.
- US is yet to get a clear answer over the money not to be used by the Taliban and how the money will be given to Afghan people.