DOHA , June30(ABC): A Taliban delegation arrived in Qatar on Wednesday for talks with the United States on unlocking some of Afghanistan s reserves following a devastating earthquake, with Washington seeking ways to ensure the money goes to help the population.
The White House said it is working “urgently” on the effort, but a member of the Afghan central bank s board said it could take time to finalise.
The Taliban s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, arrived in the Qatari capital Doha along with finance ministry and central bank officials for talks with the US envoy on Afghanistan, Tom West, Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmed said, posting a tarmac picture on Twitter.
After the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Washington froze $7 billion in reserves and the international community halted billions in direct aid that Afghanistan and its population of roughly 40 million people had relied on.
The currency has collapsed and the country descended into a serious economic crisis, although some assistance has been restored.
Last week s 5.9-magnitude earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, which killed more than 1,000 people and left tens of thousands homeless, adds urgency to the funding debate.
“Negotiations are underway and it is our expectation that a final proposal under discussion will be finalised,” said Shah Mehrabi, member of the Supreme Council of the Central Bank of Afghanistan.
However, details on “the mechanism to transfer the reserves to the Central Bank has not been finalised,” he told.
“It is going to take a while. These things do not happen overnight.”