Germany's interior minister said last week he would seek direct contact with the Taliban administration to devise a plan for deporting criminals to Afghanistan. His comments drew criticism from the United Nations.
According to Bild newspaper, August Hanning, head of foreign intelligence (BND) in the early 2000s, and Karzai -- in power between 2001 and 2014 -- met recently in a prestigious Berlin hotel.
Karzai has retained "informal" contacts with Taliban authorities, Hanning told broadcaster Welt TV, adding that he had "no official mandate" from the German government.
During the meeting, Hanning said he discussed the establishment of an area in Afghanistan to accommodate Afghans sent back to their homeland under German supervision.
Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban's return to power in 2021.
Berlin has had only indirect contact with the Taliban authorities through third parties.
But a debate over resuming expulsions has flared as migration becomes a key issue amid the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Twenty-eight Afghan nationals who had been convicted of crimes were deported in August last year after Germany's previous government carried out indirect negotiations with the Taliban.
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