Afghan people buoyed by Chinese aid supplies

KABUL/OSLO－Afghanistan's caretaker government began to deliver China-donated humanitarian food supplies on Saturday to at least 10 of the country's 34 provinces, an official said.

The supplies, including 440 metric tons of rice, will be shipped by 20 trucks to the 10 most vulnerable provinces, said Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, spokesman for the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation.

He also said that other shipments of humanitarian food supplies from China will be transported to other provinces in the coming days.

Haqqani said that Afghanistan had received several batches of humanitarian supplies donated by China, and that the ministry was sending the material aid to vulnerable people in the country's 34 provinces.

Recently, thousands of needy people in several Afghan provinces received China-aided relief items. In Faryab Province, 1,100 destitute people who were surveyed and registered by officials from the provincial directorate of refugees and repatriation received the assistance packages in Maimana, the capital of northern Faryab Province, on Jan 10, head of the directorate Saifuddin Jahadi said.

"I appreciate China's help so much. The winter assistance has solved a lot of our problems in these cold and difficult days. The Chinese people have been a good neighbor and friend for a long time," local resident Attiqullah told Xinhua after receiving a package.

In the meantime, a Taliban delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi started three days of talks in Oslo on Sunday with Western officials and Afghan civil society representatives amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.

Oslo talks

In their first visit to Europe since returning to power in August, the Taliban met representatives of the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Union on Monday. They will talk with Norwegian officials on Tuesday.

The closed-door discussions, facilitated by Norway, are being held at the Soria Moria Hotel on a snowy hilltop outside Oslo.

Taliban representatives pressed their demand that nearly $10 billion frozen by the United States and other Western countries be released.

"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."

Xinhua - Agencies