Indonesia, Australia urge Taliban to respect rights of women

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The foreign minister of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, is urging the Taliban to respect the rights of women and not allow Afghanistan to become a breeding ground for extremist activities. Retno Marsudi made the comments after meeting with Australia’s foreign and defense ministers, who are visiting Jakarta to bolster security ties. Indonesia has suffered a series of militant attacks since bombings on the tourist island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreigners, including 88 Australians. Marsudi and her Australian counterpart, Marise Payne, urged the Taliban to respect and promote human rights, especially those of women and girls.