Taliban calls for global acceptance at Moscow

DPa Moscow The Taliban on Wednesday urged the international community again to recognise their government in Afghanistan, as Russia’s Foreign Minister Ser...

DPa MoscowThe Taliban on Wednesday urged the international community again to recognise their government in Afghanistan, as Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for more efforts to achieve lasting peace at a conference in Moscow.Russia is concerned that the security situation among its allies in Central Asia could deteriorate. Countries including Tajikistan border directly on Afghanistan.The Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Salam Hanafi assured the gathering that Afghanistan did not pose a threat to countries near or far away, and asked the international community to recognise the government they have formed- a step no government has taken so far.The Taliban delegation at the Moscow talks comprised 10 people, led by Abdul Salam Hanafi. Taliban leaders once again called on the United States to release more than 9 billion dollars of Afghan central bank reserves held outside the country, warning that they will not make any kind of deal under pressure.The Taliban government is having to tackle a huge economic crisis with a mainly shuttered banking system and a sharp rise in the prices of food and fuel.The Taliban’s acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told journalists in Moscow that they were calling on the international community to help stabilise Afghanistan, to provide humanitarian aid and to release the country’s assets.The search for peace is still an urgent task, Lavrov said in Moscow on Wednesday, according to the Interfax agency.He called on the Taliban representatives at the meeting to guarantee the fundamental rights of all Afghan residents.Because of the lack of international recognition of the Taliban government and because of economic and humanitarian problems, the situation could not be described as stable, Lavrov said.According to the Russians, representatives of 10 countries took part in the talks, including Afghanistan’s neighbours China, Iran and Pakistan.Despite the Taliban statements, the security situation in the country is still unstable.At least a hundred civilians have been killed in two major attacks in the country in the past two weeks.