There is no other option than to start talks with the Taliban, said former top diplomat Ed Kronenburg in the program News and Co on NPO Radio 1: “The Netherlands is of course not the only one with this problem, many countries have been active there.”
He therefore advocates sending an EU mission to Afghanistan, with the most important representatives: “You think of President Charles Michel of the European Council, President Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell .” For the time being, the government is looking for it in a smaller context. Outgoing minister Kaag says that the Netherlands is working together with France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
development aid
But, according to Kronenburg, Europe has an trump card that may make the Taliban willing to negotiate: “The EU has already invested something like EUR 4 billion in development money in Afghanistan and programs are still ongoing.” Afghanistan is still a very poor country, he says: “So I assume that the Taliban also have an interest in continuing those programs.” Yet Kronenburg acknowledges that the Taliban is the parent party in talks: “They will be able to make the demands.”
An additional problem is that embassy employees from many countries have left. Kronenburg: “You will have to have people on site to arrange certain formalities. Some people may need papers to get out of the country.” This does not require a fully functioning embassy, says the former diplomat: “There is still a Turkish embassy, Pakistan is of course there, Qatar. There are possibilities to have it run through those embassies. Or with their help.”
This is how Prime Minister Rutte reacted to the cessation of the evacuations:
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