The last day of talks between the Taliban and western diplomats has begun in Oslo with a bilateral meeting with Norwegian government officials focused largely on the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.
The three-day talks opened on Sunday with talks between the Taliban and members of Afghan civil society, followed on Monday by multilateral talks with western diplomats the EU, the U.S., Britain, France, Italy and hosts Norway. Bilateral talks with all parties including independent humanitarian organisations are expected on Tuesday.
The closed-door meetings are taking place at a hotel in the snow-capped mountains above the Norwegian capital and are expected to cover everything from education to humanitarian aid to greater inclusivity. They come at a crucial time for Afghanistan as freezing temperatures are compounding misery from the downward spiral that has come with the fall of the U.S.-backed government and the Taliban takeover.—AP
