Kabul: New political and economic prospects are expected to open for Afghanistan, experts said on Friday, following the acceptance of the credentials of Taliban-appointed diplomats as the ambassador to the UAE and charge d’affaires to Kazakhstan.
Afghanistan has faced global sanctions since the Taliban took over and American-led international forces withdrew in August 2021, two decades after the US invaded the country.
Unrecognized on the international stage, the Taliban administration has been dealing on a bilateral level with regional countries, including neighboring Pakistan, India, and China, as well as Central Asian republics.
For the past three years, it has also engaged with the Middle East, mainly Qatar and the UAE.
An official Taliban delegation visited Abu Dhabi and met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed last week.
On Wednesday, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Mawlawi Badruddin Haqqani submitted his credentials to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A UAE official confirmed to Reuters on Thursday that accepting “the credentials of the ambassador of Afghanistan” reaffirms the Gulf state’s determination to build bridges and help Afghans, including through development and reconstruction projects.
Also on Wednesday, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev said that Kazakhstan accredited Muhammad Ur Rehman Rahmani as charge d’affaires of Afghanistan in Astana, “guided by the crucial goal for both countries of expanding trade, economic, and humanitarian cooperation.”
Other countries that have accepted Taliban diplomats are China, which formally received the credentials of their ambassador in January, as well as Qatar, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Russia, where Taliban diplomats serve as charge d’affaires. Turkiye and Tajikistan have also recognized Taliban officials, but so far only at the consular level.
“Countries are concerned about the security and stability of Afghanistan as it’s directly connected to the stability in the whole region. Therefore, they are interested in engagement with the Taliban-led government, considering the rivalries and the appetite for balance of power across the region,” Sohaib Raufi, executive director of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies in Kabul, told Arab News.
“These steps are clear signs of increasing trust between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and countries in the region and beyond. The trade-oriented foreign policy of the Islamic Emirate is a key factor in enhancing its relations with the world.”
During the first Taliban stint in power in 1996-2001, their administration was recognized by three countries: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
The growing international engagement may be seen as initial steps for further recognition of the current government.
“But there’s a long way ahead before reaching that stage,” Raufi said. “A wider engagement of the world countries is required to reduce the current isolation of Afghanistan on a larger political level.”
In the short term, however, the new official relations, especially with the UAE, are expected to have an impact on Afghanistan’s reeling economy.
“Afghanistan’s economic relations have been limited due to the political restrictions imposed on the country after August 2021. Increasing political engagement with more countries will no doubt have a positive impact on the country’s exports and imports through accessing diversified economic corridors,” said Tayeb Khan, economics lecturer at Kateb University in Kabul.
“Afghanistan’s relations with the UAE, as a global trade hub, will give Afghanistan easy access to a wider market in the Arab countries and beyond, creating increased opportunities for utilizing Afghanistan’s human capital as well.”
New prospects for Afghanistan as UAE, Kazakhstan accept credentials of Taliban envoys
https://arab.news/2dsnw
New prospects for Afghanistan as UAE, Kazakhstan accept credentials of Taliban envoys
- Only UAE, China have so far accepted Taliban diplomats as full ambassadors
- In 1996-2001, Taliban rule was recognized by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE
Macron says will announce plans to ‘mobilize civilians’
“We are going to look at ways to mobilize civilians,” he told the regional press
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday ruled out bringing back mandatory military service but said he wanted to mobilize society in the face of Russian aggression and would make an announcement in the coming weeks.
Speaking to regional newspapers in comments recorded Friday and published Saturday, Macron said the return of compulsory military service was “not a realistic option.”
He said France no longer had the “logistics” to reintroduce conscription, which ended in 2001.
“We are going to look at ways to mobilize civilians,” Macron told the regional press, adding that he wanted to consolidate the “mobilization of society in the face of crises.”
European countries including France have been debating reinstating compulsory military service to boost their defenses in the face of Russian aggression. Fears about the strength of NATO have surged further after US President Donald Trump said Europe must take care of its own security.
According to a recent poll, 61 percent of French people are in favor of re-establishing some form of compulsory military service.
During his presidential campaign in 2017, Macron had promised to introduce a month-long compulsory service, but the idea received a cool response from the army.
Macron has been looking for ways to encourage young French people to serve.
In January, he asked the government and the army to submit proposals by May on how to mobilize more young volunteers to “back up the armed forces” in case of need.
Former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, speaking to Le Figaro, proposed creating “a voluntary military service,” which would enable at least 50,000 men and women to be trained each year.
Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu has suggested strengthening a reserve force to 100,000 people.
Macron wants ‘clear pressure’ on Moscow to accept ceasefire
- Russia “does not give the impression it sincerely wants peace,” Macron said
- “Russia must respond clearly and the pressure must be clear, in conjunction with the United States, to obtain this ceasefire“
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that Europe and the United States had to put pressure on Russia to accept a proposed ceasefire in Ukraine.
Russia “does not give the impression it sincerely wants peace,” Macron said in a statement provided to AFP following a Saturday morning video conference of countries backing Ukraine organized by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
On the contrary, Russian President Vladimir Putin is “escalating the fighting” and “wants to get everything, then negotiate,” he said.
“Russia must respond clearly and the pressure must be clear, in conjunction with the United States, to obtain this ceasefire,” he added.
In a statement released later Saturday, his office said Macron would Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney on Monday to discuss the war in Ukraine and “other international crises.”
Since returning to the White House in January, US President Donald Trump has stressed his desire to end the three-year old conflict, and has made a spectacular rapprochement with Vladimir Putin.
After a very public falling out between Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House last month, Kyiv has worked to restore relations. It has backed Washington’s proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia has not accepted.
“This is a moment of truth because if Russia does not sincerely commit to peace, President Trump will toughen sanctions and retaliation, and so that will completely change the dynamic,” Macron said in a interview Friday with French regional papers that was posted late Saturday.
He said planning was accelerating among countries willing to provide security guarantees for Ukraine following any eventual ceasefire, such as France and Britain.
Military leaders from some 30 countries met in Paris on March 11 to discuss plans for a peacekeeping force in Ukraine, and will meet again Thursday in Britain.
“Several European countries, and indeed non-European ones, have expressed their willingness to join” a possible deployment to Ukraine to secure a future peace agreement with Russia, said Macron.
This would involve “a few thousand troops” per state, deployed at key points, to conduct training programs and “show our long-term support,” he told the regional papers.
Moscow has firmly opposed such a deployment.
But Macron said: “If Ukraine requests allied forces to be on its territory, it is not up to Russia to accept or reject them.
He added: “Under no circumstances can the Ukrainians make territorial concessions without having any security guarantees.”
Macron will travel to Berlin Tuesday for talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz for talks on Ukraine ahead of an EU summit, Berlin has announced.
Lawyers for detained Columbia student ask for his release on bail
- Mahmoud Khalil — a 30-year-old permanent US resident of Palestinian descent — was arrested a week ago at his university residence
- His wife, an American citizen, is due to give birth next month
NEW YORK: A Columbia University student detained over his pro-Palestinian activism is not a flight risk and should be allowed to return home for the birth of his first child, his lawyers argued in a motion for bail on Saturday.
Mahmoud Khalil — a 30-year-old permanent US resident of Palestinian descent — was arrested a week ago at his university residence.
He has not been charged with a crime and is being held in immigration custody in Louisiana. His wife, an American citizen, is due to give birth next month.
The case has become a flashpoint for President Donald Trump’s vow to deport some activists who took part in protests on US college campuses against Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza following the October 2023 attack by the Palestinian militants. Khalil was a prominent member of the protest movement at Columbia University.
His arrest sparked protests this week. Justice Department lawyers have argued the US government is seeking Khalil’s removal because Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reasonable grounds to believe his activities or presence in the country could have “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.”
The US will likely revoke visas of more students in the coming days, Rubio said on Friday.
Under a provision of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, a law passed in 1952, any immigrant may be deported if the secretary of state deems their presence in the country potentially adverse to American foreign policy. Legal experts have said that provision is rarely invoked, and Khalil’s lawyers have said it was not intended to silence dissent.
“His detention unquestionably chills his speech, as the federal government monitors and controls his ability to communicate with the outside world and has complete power over all of the decisions that impact his daily life inside a remote private prison,” his lawyers argued in the motion for bail.
They said if released, Khalil would return home to help his wife prepare for the birth of their child and start a job at a human rights organization in New York. He has the support of many current and former classmates, professors, colleagues and friends who are calling for his release, they said.
“There are no allegations that Mr. Khalil is a flight risk or a danger to the community,” his lawyers argued. “Mr. Khalil has never been arrested or convicted of a crime.”
The US Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Justice Department said on Friday: “Being in the United States as a non-citizen is a privilege, not a right ... Mahmoud won’t be missed.” Since Khalil’s arrest, federal agents have searched two student residences at Columbia University and the Justice Department said on Friday it was looking into what it said were possible violations of terrorism laws during the protests.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also said on Friday that a Columbia student from India, whose visa was revoked on March 5, had left the country herself on March 11.
Noem said a second woman — a Palestinian from the West Bank who took part in the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University — was arrested for overstaying her expired student visa, which was terminated in 2022 for lack of attendance.
Trump signs a bill funding the government for 6 months, avoiding a shutdown
- The bill largely keeps government funding at levels set during Joe Biden’s presidency, though with changes
- Senate Democrats argued for days over whether to force a shutdown, livid that Republicans in the House had drafted and passed the spending measure without their input
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has signed into law legislation funding the government through the end of September, ending the threat of a partial government shutdown and capping off a struggle in Congress that deeply divided Democrats.
Harrison Fields, White House principal deputy press secretary, said in a post on X that Trump signed the continuing resolution Saturday.
The bill largely keeps government funding at levels set during Joe Biden’s presidency, though with changes. It trims non-defense spending by about $13 billion from the previous year and increases defense spending by about $6 billion, which are marginal changes when talking about a topline spending level of nearly $1.7 trillion.
The Senate cleared the legislation on Friday in a 54-46 party line vote, with 10 members of the Senate Democratic caucus helping the bill advance to passage despite opposition from within their party — most vocally from colleagues in the House, who exhorted them to reject the bill out of hand.
Senate Democrats argued for days over whether to force a shutdown, livid that Republicans in the House had drafted and passed the spending measure without their input. Democrats said the legislation shortchanges health care, housing and other priorities and gives Trump wide leeway to redirect federal spending even as his administration and the Department of Government Efficiency rapidly dismantle congressionally approved agencies and programs.
In the end, enough of the Democratic senators decided a government shutdown would be even worse than letting the funding bill pass.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said a shutdown would have given the Trump administration the ability to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel non-essential, furloughing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired.
“A shutdown will allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,” Schumer said. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate.”
Passage of the funding bill through the House earlier in the week was a victory for Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, who managed to hold Republicans together and muscle the bill to passage without support from Democrats — something they’ve rarely been able to achieve in the past.
Chinese military jet crashes, pilot safely ejects
- The fighter jet, from the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command, crashed in an open area in the southern island province of Hainan
- The southern command oversees some of the country’s most sensitive areas including the South China Sea
BEIJING: A Chinese naval fighter jet crashed on Saturday during a training exercise but its pilot successfully ejected from the plane, the military said.
The fighter jet, from the Chinese military’s Southern Theater Command, crashed in an open area in the southern island province of Hainan, the navy said in a statement on social media.
The southern command oversees some of the country’s most sensitive areas including the South China Sea, where there has been a spate of violent clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in recent years around disputed reefs and islands in the area.
“The pilot successfully ejected, and no collateral damage was caused on the ground,” the statement said.
An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched and the navy is organizing efforts to handle the aftermath, it added.
China has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas of the sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.
In recent months, Beijing has more firmly asserted its territorial claims in the South China Sea, where countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines are defending their own claims.
Last month, the Philippine Coast Guard condemned “dangerous” maneuvers by a Chinese Navy helicopter it said had flown within meters of a surveillance flight carrying a group of journalists over the contested Scarborough Shoal.
