America and the Taliban are talking today about releasing the frozen Afghan funds after the earthquake

Afghanistan: The Taliban took over in August 2021 after the United States abandoned 20 years of military effort. (a file)

Doha:

Officials said that the plan of the United States and the Taliban is holding talks Thursday in Qatar about opening some of Afghanistan’s reserves in the wake of the devastating earthquake, as Washington seeks ways to ensure that the money is spent to help the population.

The White House said it was working “urgently” on the effort, but a member of the Afghan Central Bank’s board said it could take some time to finish.

Hafiz Zia Ahmed, a spokesman for the Taliban’s foreign ministry, said Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki had arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank for talks.

The State Department said its special envoy for Afghanistan, Tom West, would participate, and said the United States was focusing on a range of interests including human rights and opening schools for girls.

“None of these engagements should be seen as ‘legitimizing’ the Taliban or their so-called government, but merely a reflection of the fact that we need such discussions in order to advance American interests,” a State Department spokesperson said. Department that does not recognize the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Taliban took over in August 2021 after the United States abandoned a 20-year military effort.

At that time, Washington froze $7 billion in reserves and the international community suspended billions of direct aid on which Afghanistan and its population of about 40 million depended.

The currency collapsed and the country plunged into a serious economic crisis, although some help has been restored.

Last week’s 5.9-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which killed more than 1,000 people and displaced tens of thousands, adds to the urgency of the funding discussion.

“Negotiations are underway and we expect to finalize a final proposal under discussion,” said Shah Mehrabi, a member of the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.

He told AFP that the details of “the mechanism for transferring reserves to the central bank have not been completed yet.”

“It’s going to take some time. These things don’t happen overnight.”

‘Move this money’

White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre said over the weekend that efforts were underway to “move this money” out of frozen reserves.

“We are working urgently to address the complex questions about the use of this money to make sure it benefits the people of Afghanistan, not the Taliban,” she told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to Europe.

In question is $3.5 billion in frozen reserves, half of the total raised by the US government.

“I have argued that these reserves should be released to the central bank,” said Mehrabi, who is also a professor of economics at Montgomery College in the suburbs of the US capital.

He proposed a “limited and controlled release of reserves” of about $150 million a month to pay for imports.

This would help “price stability and help meet the needs of ordinary Afghans so that they can buy bread, cooking oil, sugar and fuel,” he said, relieving the misery of families facing high inflation.

He said the use of the funds “can be independently monitored and reviewed by external audit firms with the option to terminate in the event of misuse.”

The United Nations has warned that half of the country is threatened by food shortages.

The United States earlier said it was contributing about $55 million to relief efforts made more urgent by the earthquake, and directed aid to groups operating in Afghanistan.

The United States still considers the Taliban a terrorist group, which has insisted that any improvement in relations would depend on meeting key concerns, including the treatment of women.

Biden in February gave the green light to the other half of the frozen reserves to compensate survivors and families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, which led to the invasion in which the United States toppled the Taliban and kept it afloat. Western government for two decades.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by the NDTV crew and is published from a syndicated feed.)

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos