MOSCOW (AP) — The lower house of Russia’s parliament on Tuesday approved a bill that paves the way for Moscow to scrap the designation of Afghanistan’s Taliban as a terrorist group.
Under the draft law adopted in the second and third readings by the State Duma, the official terrorist designation of an organization could be suspended by a court. The legislation must still be approved by the House of Lords and signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law.
The Taliban were placed on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations in 2003 and any contact with such groups is punishable under Russian law. At the same time, Taliban delegations attended several forums organized in Moscow.
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Russian officials have brushed off questions about the apparent contradiction by emphasizing the need to engage the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan.
The Soviet Union fought a ten-year war in Afghanistan, which ended when Moscow withdrew its troops in 1989. Since then, Moscow has made a diplomatic comeback as a power broker, hosting talks on Afghanistan involving senior officials from the Taliban and neighboring countries.
There is growing division within the international community over how to deal with the Taliban, who have been in power for three years and face no internal or external opposition. Afghanistan’s rulers have maintained bilateral ties with major regional powers.
