Lawmakers slate EU's role in Afghanistan
Jerome Hughes
Press TV, Brussels
As they stood for a photograph ahead of their latest meeting on Friday, EU foreign affairs ministers appeared to be in a jovial mood. However, critics say they have little to laugh about given the West's role in the Afghan crisis. At a press conference following the meeting, it was made clear the EU is not encouraging Afghan refugees to travel to the 27-country bloc.
That statement is likely to enrage rights groups and aid agencies. Oxfam had already published a statement accusing the EU of turning its back on Afghan refugees.
European Commission data suggests 3.5 million people are currently internally displaced within the country. 1 in 3 are going hungry. Half-a-million people are currently trying to leave Afghanistan, according to the commission.
EU lawmakers say it's not fair for the EU to place the responsibility of refugees on neighboring countries like Pakistan and Iran.
A coordinated strategy by the EU to the refugee crisis is urgently required, experts argue.
The role the EU, NATO, Britain and the US played in Afghanistan has been castigated in the European Parliament.
One legislator suggests the EU misjudged the level of support that exists for the Taliban.
Without assistance from the international community, European Commission officials forecast medical supplies will run out in Kabul within two weeks and 120 children in the country could die every single day.
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