• Taliban and western diplomats have begun first official talks in Oslo, Norway
  • Group’s representatives will push demand for $10 billion in assets to be unfrozen
  • Taliban delegate urged western negotiators ‘not to punish ordinary Afghans’
  • Came as Afghan women’s rights activists criticised formation of interim Cabinet that is all-male and all-Taliban

The Taliban will push to have $10billion in assets unfrozen by the US as they begin their first official talks with western diplomats since they took control of Afghanistan last year.

Three days of closed-door meetings started Sunday at a hotel in the mountains above the Norwegian capital Oslo.

Today’s meeting involved representatives of the EU, the US, Britain, France, Italy and hosts Norway meeting with the Taliban delegation led by its Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

‘We are requesting them to unfreeze Afghan assets and not punish ordinary Afghans because of the political discourse,’ said Taliban delegate Shafiullah Azam on Sunday night.

‘Because of the starvation, because of the deadly winter, I think it’s time for the international community to support Afghans, not punish them because of their political disputes.’

Muttaqi told reporters Monday that the the that the meeting took place as a success in its own right.

‘Norway providing us this opportunity is an achievement in itself because we shared the stage with the world,’ he said.

‘From these meetings we are sure of getting support for Afghanistan’s humanitarian, health and education sectors.’

Ahead of the talks, western diplomats met with Afghan women’s rights activists and human rights defenders to about their demands and assessment of the current situation on the ground.

Standing silent as attendees gathered, women’s rights activist Heda Khamoush, who lives in Kabul, held up the photos of Tamana Zaryabi Paryani and Parwana Ibrahimkhel, two women arrested by the Taliban last week following an anti-Taliban protest against the compulsory Islamic headscarf, or hijab, for women. They haven’t been seen since.

Rejecting the accusation the Taliban had abducted them, Azam said he was ‘not aware of that’ and suggested activists may be using this event to seek asylum.

The three-day talks opened on Sunday with direct meetings between the Taliban and civil society representatives.