German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany would be stepping up its humanitarian aid for Afghanistan but suggested such assistance would only continue if human rights are respected.
Maas was addressing a donor conference hosted by the United Nations in Geneva to drum up emergency funds for beleaguered Afghans who could soon face widespread hunger after decades of conflict.
"Germany has already increased its humanitarian funding to Afghanistan and the region by 100 million euro (approximately 118 million dollars) and we intend to provide another 500 million euro (approximately 590 million US dollars) to help Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries," Maas said.
However Maas added, "The Taliban have to respect basic human rights. And Afghanistan must never again become a place from where terrorism threatens the world."
The first such conference on Afghanistan since the Taliban took over a month ago is testing Western governments and other big traditional donors, which want to protect Afghans from looming humanitarian disaster but also want to keep pressure on the new militant rulers to respect rights and moderate their rule.