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IEA says US agreed not to give Afghan funds to charity organizations
After Washington announced its plan to use half of $7 billion in frozen Afghan assets for humanitarian aid, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said on Friday the US has agreed not to give it to charity organizations.
The agreement came during a meeting between IEA’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, in Turkey.
“The two sides held detailed discussions on current political & economic situation in Afghanistan. Both sides agreed that the Afghan Central Bank’s USD $3.5 billion unfrozen assets from the US bank shall in no circumstances be given to charity organizations,” Hafiz Zia Ahmad, deputy spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, said on Twitter.
During the meeting, the Afghan side underscored that the entire $7 billion should be unfrozen and given to the Afghan central bank as it belongs to the Afghan people, he said.
Muttaqi stated that seizing Afghan assets in any way would adversely affect relations between the two countries, the tweet read.
Last month, US President Joe Biden signed an executive order creating the possibility of splitting $7 billion in frozen Afghan funds held in the US, potentially allotting half for humanitarian aid to the country while keeping the other half available for victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Meanwhile, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his latest interview with China’s CCTV, said the US should hand over all Afghan assets to the Afghan central bank.
Afghanistan has been suffering from a severe economic crisis and US freezing of Afghan funds and sanctions is considered to be a major factor behind it.
“If the money is given to foreign organizations, it would not be spent on infrastructure in Afghanistan. It is better to give the money to the finance ministry or the central bank of Afghanistan so that it would be used in infrastructure programs,” said Mohammad Shabir Bashiri, an economic expert.
UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, is expected to brief the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan on Wednesday after UNAMA released its quarterly report Tuesday.
Tanja Fajon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, will preside over the meeting.
UNAMA’s latest report, which includes information gathered after the last report dated June 13, states that security incidents have increased against the same period last year; restrictions on women have increased, and almost more than 24 million people still need humanitarian aid.
The Islamic Emirate, meanwhile, expects that the reality of Afghanistan should be reflected in Otunbayeva’s report.
IEA has already asked UNAMA many times to reflect on the realities of Afghanistan in its reports and to refrain from exaggerating small issues.
Otunbayeva stated in her last report that by August 30 of this year, only 24.9 percent of the $2.9 billion dollars required for aid to Afghanistan had been provided.
Acting Minister of Interior Affairs Sirajuddin Haqqani met on Tuesday with the Japanese Ambassador to Kabul,Takayoshi Kuromiya, the ministry said in a statement.
Abdul Matin Qane, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, said in a post on X that apart from expressing satisfaction over the improved security situation, they discussed boosting Japan's aid to Afghanistan.
They also discussed a working group with UNAMA to tackle issues related to narcotics.
A spokesman for Afghanistan’s foreign affairs said Tuesday Islamic Emirate diplomats have been posted to Oman to reopen the Afghanistan embassy.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal said in a post on X the embassy in Muscat opened last Sunday.
Takal added that resuming the activities of the Afghan embassy with the cooperation of the host country will play a constructive role in strengthening political, economic, social and religious relations between Kabul and Muscat.
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