The United States restated its prior commitment to provide $55 million in new assistance for earthquake relief during the talks on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a statement released by the State Department on Friday. Additionally, “the two sides discussed in detail US actions to preserve $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves for the benefit of the Afghan people,” according to the statement. Last week, the US said it was “urgently” trying to figure out what to do with the money, according to White House. The 5.9-magnitude earthquake that devastated eastern Afghanistan last week, killing over 1,000 people and displacing tens of thousands, heightens the urgency of the financial discussion.
The conference, which was presided over by Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West, “the United States expressed condolences for the loss of life and suffering in Afghanistan caused by recent earthquakes,” according to the State Department. According to the statement, the United States expressed “concerns regarding increased Taliban influence in the delivery of humanitarian assistance” and “concerns surrounding transparency in service delivery.”
The State Department claims that US negotiators pressed the Taliban leadership on women’s rights as well. This was a point of contention that caused Washington to postpone discussions in Doha in March when the Taliban closed girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan.
