KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, during a meeting with Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that they closely monitored the UN-chaired Doha meeting on Afghanistan and it failed to yield any tangible outcome.
According to Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson of the ministry, Muttaqi emphasized the significance of timely and comprehensive consultations with them for such meetings to be effective.
The head of UNAMA, according to Balkhi, said that more meetings would be held in Doha with broad consultations involving the Taliban in the upcoming sessions.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, chaired the second meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan on February 18 and 19. The gathering which was convened in the absence of Taliban representatives discussed the country’s situation and the appointment of a special envoy as requested by the UN Security Council last year.
While the UN tried to convince the Taliban to participate in the meeting, the unrecognized regime, however, set conditions for their participation. According to the UN chief, the Taliban’s conditions included refusing him to engage with representatives of Afghan civil society and demanding to be treated as legitimate government of Afghanistan.
During a press conference following the two-day closed-door meeting, the UN Secretary-General described the gathering as “extremely useful” and stressed that the absence of the Taliban had not affected its effectiveness. However, he reiterated the importance of maintaining the same format for future meetings, expressing hope that the Taliban would take part in the next one.
Like the Taliban, Russia also criticized the UN-chaired meeting on Afghanistan, labeling it a “failure.” The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that any initiative, whether it involves establishing a new position or format, is bound to fail without the support of the Taliban and regional countries.
Earlier today, while welcoming the UN’s efforts to bring about change in Afghanistan, many political currents and protest movements of Afghanistan, mostly in exile, also criticized the outcome of the UN meeting in Doha, saying that the roots of the crisis in Afghanistan were not addressed.
In a joint statement, they advocated for the involvement of all stakeholders in Afghanistan and emphasized on the establishment of an inclusive government that involves “all conflict-affected individuals and influential political parties.”
They emphasized that the political process in Afghanistan cannot succeed without the participation of political parties. However, unlike the Taliban, they supported the appointment of a UN special envoy for Afghanistan, suggesting that these envoys could be effective if they consult with all influential stakeholders.
The head of UNAMA, according to the Taliban foreign ministry, said that the UN Secretary General suggested consulting with the Taliban, emphasizing that no step should be taken regarding the appointment of a special envoy that could complicate engagement with the ruling regime in Afghanistan.
