An American private sector delegation opened meetings in Afghanistan with officials and local counterparts Wednesday in the first interaction since the Taliban seized power from a U.S.-backed government two years ago, as reported by Voice of America News (VOAN).
Jeffrey Grieco, president in the US of the Afghan American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) addressed a televised meeting in Kabul of business representatives. He co-hosted the meeting with the Taliban Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar. Grieco said that the US backs his mission, and a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department emailed VOAN a cautious acknowledgement that the AACC delegation, along with “individuals with business interests,” had traveled to Kabul, and that the “United States stands with the people of Afghanistan as they work to rebuild their economy,.”
Grieco stated that the ‘de facto Afghan authorities’ should be credited for establishing peace in the country, saying they have also “greatly eliminated” corruption. “It’s not all gone, but it’s mostly gone.” He said his group was trying to elevate private sector activities and explore ways to ease hardships facing Afghans over the past two years. He added: “The next year is going to be equally hard as the donors are reducing funding for Afghanistan, both humanitarian food security and other funding, at a key moment when Afghanistan needs funding for humanitarian purposes.”
