US, EU urge Taliban to end military offensive and 'engage meaningfully' in peace talks

The US, the EU and NATO on July 23 urged the Taliban to stop its military offensive in war-torn Afghanistan and engage in peace talks. According to a press release, the special representatives and special envoys of the US, EU, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the UK met in Rome on Thursday to discuss the situation and the developments in Afghanistan peace negotiations after the latest round of high-level talks in Doha earlier this month. In a joint statement, the global leaders affirmed that their countries are committed to a “strong partnership” with Afghanistan and will be closely monitoring the situation in the new phase of transition with the withdrawal of international forces. 

US-Europe Communique on Afghanistan and Peace Efforts also said, “We call on the Taliban to end their military offensive, and on both the Islamic Republic and the Taliban to engage meaningfully in the peace process.”

Further, as per the press note, the joint communique reiterated that the Taliban and the Afghan government must deliver on their commitments to prevent the use of Afghan soil by terrorist groups from launching attacks against any other country. They even spoke against hosting members of these groups now allowing them to recruit, train, fundraise or transit through Afghanistan. The world leaders said that they are “deeply concerned” about the high levels of violence, and the number of reported serious human rights abuses across the country. 

“The people of Afghanistan have suffered for too long from conflict,” the press release read. 

It added, “We call on all parties to reduce violence and protect civilians, respecting their obligations under international humanitarian law. We reiterate the urgency of reaching a ceasefire to ensure the success of negotiations, and we acknowledge the sacrifices of the Afghan security forces.”

US, EU and NATO to maintain support for Afghanistan 

Moreover, the group urged the Taliban to reduce violence, uphold their commitments to protect Afghanistan's infrastructure, protect civilians and cooperate on humanitarian assistance, particularly as the Afghan people suffer acutely from the effects of COVID-19 and drought, in addition to violence. They also called upon all parties to ensure the safety of foreign embassies and other diplomatic missions, multilateral agencies, media representatives, airports and non-governmental organisations and their Afghan and international staff. “We call on the two parties to negotiate in good faith in order to reach a just and durable political settlement,” the group said. 

The communique added, “We intend to maintain our support for Afghan institutions, including defence and security forces, to address the country’s urgent needs. We also reiterate that future assistance to Afghanistan is dependent on good governance and a commitment to the rule of law and human rights.”

(Image: AP)