Belgium issues visas to Taliban delegation

BRUSSELS:

Belgium said on Monday it had issued five visas to a Taliban delegation to attend an EU meeting on migration in Brussels, for what would be the first time the EU has hosted the group since the Islamists returned to power five years ago.

"These are visas with limited territorial validity and limited duration: only for Belgium ... and only for a single day," a Belgian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the exact date of the visit would not be communicated for security reasons.

The meeting is expected to focus on ways to deport some Afghan migrants, despite warnings from human rights groups that such engagement could put Afghans at risk and undermine core EU values.

According to a letter seen by Reuters and addressed to Abdul Qaher Balkhi, a Taliban foreign ministry spokesman, it will focus on "the return and readmission of Afghan nationals without a right to stay in the European Union". The EU's executive, the European Commission, has said the meeting is technical and does not constitute recognition of Taliban rule