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US, Germany Hosting Talks on Afghanistan

VOA News

   U.S. Secretary of State AntonyBlinkenand German Foreign Minister Heiko
   Maas are hosting talks Wednesdaywith a group of partners and alliesto
   discuss the situation in Afghanistan, including efforts to continue the
   flow of humanitarian aid to the country after the Taliban's takeover.

   A U.S. State Department official said ahead of the ministerial meeting
   that one theme of the discussion would be seeing if the Taliban lives
   up to its commitments and the expectations of the international
   community.
   U.S. Secretary of State Blinken speaks to members of the U.S. embassy
   and Mission Afghanistan in Doha, Sep. 7, 2021.

   Before traveling to Germany,Blinkenstressed during a visit to Qatar
   that the United States and others are calling on the Taliban to follow
   through on its pledge to allow anyone with valid travel documents to
   leave Afghanistan if they choose to do so.

   The issue has been a focus since the United States withdrew from
   Afghanistanat the end of August, ending a two-decade military presence
   and afinaleffort to evacuate thousands of people from the country.Many
   people who wanted to leave Afghanistan were unable to do so before the
   U.S. withdrawal.

   The State Department said Wednesday's meeting would also likely involve
   discussion of counterterrorism issues and upholding basic human rights
   in Afghanistan.

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