The European Union Tuesday repeated its position to engage with the Taliban in Afghanistan but said the current interim government is "neither inclusive nor representative" and hence will not recognize it. "To have any chance of influencing events, we have no other options but to engage with the Taliban's. Engaging does not mean recognition. No, but engaging means talking, discussing and agreeing when possible," EU High Representative Josep Borrell told a debate on Afghanistan in the European Parliament in Strasbourg Tuesday. He noted, "The level nature of this engagement will depend on the actions of the new government on five benchmarks set by the EU." The five benchmarks are, Afghanistan not to be a base for the export of terrorism, respect for human rights, establishment of an inclusive and representative transitional government, free access for humanitarian aid, and allowing the departure of foreign nationals and Afghans at risk who wish to leave the country. "In order to implement this benchmark, we agreed to coordinate our contact with the Taliban and we are considering an European Union presence in Kabul coordinated by the external action service. In fact, our delegation there has never been close," said Borrell. The EU wants to engage the Taliban, as part of a wider effort to evacuate more Europeans and Afghan nationals. "In order to support the Afghan population, we have to engage with the new government in Afghanistan," said Borrell "Someone will say that the Taliban will not fulfill them. Let's see. Our engagement will depend on the fulfillment of these conditions," he said. Reports are already emerging that these benchmarks are unlikely to be met. Among them are stories of Afghan women being forced to marry Taliban fighters against their will. Female journalists are also fleeing, while the Taliban have been accused of targeted killings. Some of those benchmarks, like the rule of law, appeared to have also eluded the previous government overrun by the Taliban. "Afghanistan, and the Afghanistan institutions have not been defeated by the Taliban, but rather by corruption," said Slovenia's defense minister Matej Tonin, speaking on behalf of the rotating EU presidency. Another idea is to create "a regional political platform" with Afghan neighbors to weed out potential problems like drug smuggling and organized crime. "This will represent a strong diplomatic effort of all member states, all together coordinated by the external action service," Borrell said. — Agencies
