- Delegation to “express Afghanistan's position” at UN conference: spox.
- Talks in Doha are scheduled for June 30 and July 1.
- Huddle aims to 'increase intelligence'l commitment to Afghanistan”.
KABUL: Taliban officials will attend the third round of United Nations-hosted talks on Afghanistan in the Qatari capital, a government spokesman said on Sunday, after rejecting an invitation to the previous round.
The Taliban government's participation in the conference of foreign special envoys to Afghanistan was in doubt after it was not included in the first set of talks and then rejected an invitation to the second round in February.
“A delegation from the Islamic Emirate will participate in the upcoming Doha conference. They will represent Afghanistan there and express Afghanistan's position,” Zabihullah Mujahid said. AFP.
The Doha talks are scheduled for June 30 and July 1 and have already been criticized by women's groups.
Mujahid told Afghan media on Sunday that a yet-to-be-announced delegation would attend because the agenda of the talks seemed “beneficial for Afghanistan.”
The agenda includes “topics such as aid to Afghanistan and creating opportunities for investors in Afghanistan, which are important,” he said.
However, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi warned in a post on social media site .
Launched by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in May 2023, the series of talks aims to “increase international engagement with Afghanistan in a more coherent, coordinated and structured manner,” according to the UN.
Calls to prioritize women
Civil society groups that included women were invited to the February talks, but the Taliban government refused to participate unless its members could be Afghanistan's sole representatives.
He also requested to meet with Guterres, who at the time said that the conditions for participation “were not acceptable.”
In recent weeks, multiple UN representatives and international envoys have held meetings with the Taliban government about the upcoming Doha talks, which Guterres will not attend.
Diplomatic sources said AFP There were plans to consult with Afghan civil society groups before and after the upcoming talks, but they would not participate in meetings that included Taliban authorities.
Sources said the official meetings were to cover financial and economic issues, as well as anti-narcotics efforts.
Full participants
The international community has struggled with its approach to the Taliban government since it returned to power in 2021, even without being officially recognized by any other state.
Human Rights Watch Deputy Women's Rights Director Heather Barr said the Taliban should not have been allowed to make demands about the conditions of the meetings, considering their policies targeting women.
“It is unthinkable that diplomats could meet to discuss Afghanistan in the middle of such a crisis and do so without women's rights being at the top of the agenda and Afghan women fully participating in the discussion,” she said. AFP.
Under Secretary General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo extended Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi an early invitation to talks during a visit to Afghanistan in May, according to a statement.
A key element of the talks held in the Gulf state, which hosted the Taliban during years of peace talks with the United States, is an independent UN assessment on Afghanistan published late last year.
The assessment, backed by Western nations, suggested that recognition by Taliban authorities is linked to the removal of restrictions on women's rights and access to education.
It also recommends the appointment of a UN special envoy, something the Taliban government has rejected.
