A Taliban delegation is in Geneva for talks with Swiss officials and NGOs on humanitarian access and human rights, Switzerland’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Al Jazeera.
The delegation from Afghanistan’s new rulers is due to hold talks with the Red Cross and other non-governmental organisations in the Swiss city, which is also home to several United Nations agencies.
“The members of the delegation will have discussions around humanitarian access to populations in need, the protection of humanitarian actors and respect for human rights,” a foreign ministry spokeswoman told the AFP news agency.
“The protection of children during conflicts and the management of land contaminated by mines are also on the agenda of the conferences, which take place in a confidential setting.”
The spokeswoman said that Swiss ministry representatives would meet the delegation this week.
However, she stressed that their delegation’s presence on Swiss territory “does not represent a legitimisation or recognition of the Taliban”.
Switzerland’s ATS news agency reported that the delegation was being led by Latifullah Hakimi and numbers about 10 people.
Hakimi is a senior official at the Taliban defence ministry. He heads a commission formed by the Taliban government to identify members who were flouting the group’s regulations.