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Blinken says US is not planning to lift existing sanctions
The United States said Tuesday that it will not lift existing sanctions on the Islamic Emirate but it will continue sending humanitarian aid to vulnerable people in Afghanistan.
Testifying before Congress on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that humanitarian aid would flow through NGOs and UN agencies in Afghanistan.
“We’ll continue to support humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. Consistent with sanctions, this aid will not flow through the government, but rather through independent organizations like NGOs and UN agencies,” Blinken said.
Blinken’s remarks came on the heels of comments made by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, who called for sanctions to be lifted.
Muttaqi said urgent global help is needed to help deal with the “major humanitarian crisis” currently gripping the country.
Addressing a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday evening, Muttaqi called on Afghan expats to return home to help develop the country and appealed to those in the country to stay and not migrate.
He said the government is doing everything it can to provide job opportunities.
In Blinken’s address to Congress, he said however that sanctions would remain in place but that aid would be sent to Afghanistan.
“There are significant sanctions from the United Nations on the Taliban (Islamic Emirate); there are travel restrictions on the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) and the idea that if the Taliban (Islamic Emirate) is in violation of the Security Council Resolution that we established, it will get any relief just on that alone, the UN sanctions or travel restrictions, I think that's pretty clear that that won't happen, that's just one point of leverage,” Blinken said.
“We want to make sure that assistance continues to flow; humanitarian assistance, including assistance that’s directed at special needs of women and girls; we're doing that consistent with our sanctions and we're able to do that by working through NGO’s and the UN agencies.”
Muttaqi meanwhile said on Tuesday that security is being maintained around the country and called on foreign businesses to invest in Afghanistan.
He said the country is currently facing many problems including a brain drain. “Afghanistan is in dire need of help,” he said.
Reiterating his calls for global support, Muttaqi said the Islamic Emirate is willing to work with all countries including the United States but made it clear they “will not be dictated to”.
Calling for sanctions to be lifted against the Islamic Emirate, Muttaqi added “we can not allow any sanctions or embargoes” to be imposed on Afghanistan.
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IEA delegation attends conference for ‘Promoting Mining Cooperation’ in China
The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum said on Saturday in a statement that its delegation participated in a conference titled "Promoting Mining Cooperation" in China’s Hunan province.
The Ministry stated the conference aims to build a well-equipped laboratory in Afghanistan, increase the capacity of technical and professional employees of the Ministry of Mines, and encourage investors in the mineral resources sector of Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Chinese investors expressed their interest in Afghanistan’s gold, copper, mica, talc, oil, gas, lithium, lead and zinc mines.
At the conference, the ministry’s deputy minister of finance and administration and head of the delegation Hussamuddin Saberi talked about Afghanistan's natural resources contracts and investment opportunities and considered holding such programs effective for the relations between the two countries.
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Uzbekistan, EU envoys meet to discuss Afghanistan
Uzbekistan’s special representative for Afghanistan, Ismatulla Irgashev, on Friday met with the EU Special Representative for Central Asia Terhi Hakala.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of Uzbek-European relations in the Afghan direction, the efforts of the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis in the country and the possibility of using the international transport and logistics hub in Termez to deliver humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Uzbekistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Hakala highly appreciated the efforts of Uzbekistan to develop a consolidated regional position on Afghanistan, establish long-term peace and stability in the country, according to the statement.
The parties expressed mutual interest in continuing bilateral consultations on the Afghan issue, the statement added.
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UN expert calls for comprehensive, rights-focused action plan for Afghanistan
A UN expert on Friday called on the international community to devise and implement a comprehensive, human rights-centered action plan to address the human rights crisis in Afghanistan.
“The absence of a unified, forceful response from the international community has emboldened the Taliban (IEA),” UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, said.
In his latest report to the UN General Assembly, Bennett said that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is worsening, which includes systematic gender oppression, amounting to gender persecution and which many Afghans term “gender apartheid” with intergenerational implications.
Bennett expressed concern about the new “vice and virtue” law, announced in August, which he believes has institutionalized an expanding list of restrictions that “blatantly violate the rights of women and girls.”
He also expressed concern about the “shrinking civic space” in Afghanistan, the situation of minorities, journalists, and former government officials and security personnel.
“Justice, equality, and the rule of law are being systematically undermined,” he said.
The UN expert also called for increased funding and support for Afghan civil society and humanitarian efforts to mitigate the crisis.
Bennett urged the IEA to reverse its “repressive policies” and reinstate basic human rights. He pressed the international community to take a coordinated, multifaceted approach to support the Afghan people.
Bennett urged states not to normalize relations with the IEA until there are demonstrable human rights improvements and pathways to justice and accountability.
This comes as the Islamic Emirate has said that it is committed to ensuring human rights, including the rights of women and girls, according to Sharia, and this is an internal issue of Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate has banned Richard Bennett from traveling to Afghanistan, saying that he exaggerates small issues.
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