The United States has given conditions for recognising a Taliban government in Afghanistan.
US Department spokesman, Ned Price, said on Monday that the US would only recognise a Taliban government in Afghanistan if it respects the rights of women and shuns, denounces extremist movements such as Al-Qaeda.
“Ultimately when it comes to our posture towards any future government in Afghanistan, it will depend upon the actions of that government. It will depend upon the actions of the Taliban,” State Price told reporters when asked about recognition.
“A future Afghan government that upholds the basic rights of its people, that doesn’t harbor terrorists and that protects the basic rights of its people including the basic fundamental rights of half of its population – its women and girls — that is a government we would be able to work with,” AFP quoted Price as saying.
He said that the US negotiator on Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, remained in the Taliban’s diplomatic base of Qatar and that US officials have been in talks with the insurgents in the Gulf state.
Also, US President Joe Biden promised to prioritise the treatment of women and girls under the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Biden said this during his national address on Monday.
In a copy of the speech obtained by The PUNCH, the US president said, “We will continue to support the Afghan people. We will lead with our diplomacy, our international influence and our humanitarian aid. We’ll continue to push for regional diplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability.
“We’ll continue to speak out for the basic rights of the Afghan people, of women and girls, just as we speak out all over the world.
“I’ve been clear, the human rights must be the centre of our foreign policy, not the periphery. But the way to do it is not through endless military deployments. It’s with our diplomacy, our economic tools and rallying the world to join us.” (AFP)
