(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA))
DOHA, Sept 7 (KUNA) -- Qatar on Tuesday expressed hope that a deal with the Taliban to reopen Kabul's airport is imminent, while the US said it would hold the Taliban to its pledge to allow Afghans to "depart freely."
Doha is working to restore passenger flights at Kabul airport after the Gulf Arab state said it had sorted out clearance issues at the facility, Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman told a press conference, alongside US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Kabul's airport should reopen "as soon as possible," the minister said, adding that the completion of renovation work at the airport makes it ready for passenger traffic again, while he urged the Taliban to eliminate any impediments to the arrival of aid flights coming into Afghanistan.
The Taliban have pledged to allow Afghans to "depart freely," Blinken said, stressing that the international community fully expects the Taliban to live up to their word in allowing people with travel documents to leave the country.
The US Defense Secretary acknowledged Doha's efforts to save lives and allow the smooth exodus of international diplomats in Afghanistan, which he said could not have happened if Qatar had not intervened.
Austin thanked Doha for its help in the huge US airlift from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, saying it was the "largest in US history," as he underlined Washington's eagerness for closer ties with Qatar. (end)
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