Canadian officials meet with Taliban representatives in Qatar
CTV
As the economic situation continues to deteriorate in Afghanistan, diplomats from Canada and other western countries met with Taliban officials in Qatar Thursday to discuss humanitarian aid for the war-torn country.
The Canadian government is prepared to give aid to the United Nations and non-governmental organizations to help the people of Afghanistan, but in an interview airing Sunday morning on CTV’s Question Period, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the government will not give aid or money directly to the Taliban.
“I can't imagine that we would send aid to the Afghan people via the Taliban, … if there are ways multilaterally with other partners that we can support the Afghan people,” said LeBlanc.
According to a senior government source, allowing Afghans who worked for the Canadian military to leave the country was also discussed at the meeting.
Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen tweeted photos from the meeting, showing Western diplomats from many countries, including the United States, European Union, United Kingdom and Canada, in attendance.
