Merkel in favour Germany beginning talks with Taliban

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken out in favour of opening negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan, reported dpa.

"Regarding the Taliban, the fact is that of course we have to talk to them because they are now the ones who have to be addressed," Merkel told a press conference in Hagen, on the outskirts of the Ruhr region on Sunday.

She said that the aim was to ensure that in particular people who had worked for German development organizations and felt at risk could still be brought out of the country. Aid organizations must be able to provide for the suffering population.

Merkel was in the region to meet with people affected by the July floods that overwhelmed parts of western Germany.

The Christian Democrats' party leader Armin Laschet, a potential successor to Merkel as chancellor following September 26 elections, also said that it was necessary to talk to the Taliban.

The international community would then have to formulate clear conditions under which cooperation would be possible.

The foreign ministers of the EU states had agreed on Friday on conditions for limited cooperation with the militant Islamist Taliban in Afghanistan.

To work with the EU, the Taliban must first guarantee Afghanistan will not harbour terrorists who could plot attacks on other countries as in the past, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said.

Instead, the group should respect human rights, especially those of women; set up an inclusive government; allow free access for humanitarian aid; and permit foreign nationals plus vulnerable Afghans to leave, Borrell said.