ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN – The US Department of State announced its strong support for the resolution calling for a UN special envoy for Afghanistan and urged the UN Secretary-General to appoint one as soon as possible.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, February 13, the Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, said that from the US side, Thomas West, the US special envoy for Afghanistan, and Rina Amiri, the country’s special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights, will attend the upcoming Doha meeting.
The UN Security Council (UNSC), in Resolution 2721 on December 29, requested Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a Special Envoy for Afghanistan, in line with the recommendation put forth in an earlier assessment submitted by UN Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioğlu in November.
At the UNSC meeting, Russia and China abstained from voting and tacitly conditioned their blessing of any UN action in Afghanistan on approval from and engagement with the Taliban.
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is expected to convene a second meeting of special envoys on Afghanistan to discuss the situation in the country and the appointment of a special envoy on February 18 and 19. This meeting will also bring together Afghan civil rights activists and representatives of Afghan women in Doha.
While the UN also seeks to encourage the Taliban’s attendance at the meeting, the Kabul regime has not yet confirmed its participation. The Taliban earlier said that they would decide whether to attend after reviewing all relevant information, including the meeting’s structure and list of participants.
Iranian envoy for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, says that the Taliban have set two “important conditions” for their participation in the meeting. Mr. Qomi, without providing further details about the Taliban’s conditions, added that it is a good opportunity to assess the seriousness of the proposition of finding a “fair approach” for engagement, which aligns with the objectives of the meeting.
Ahead of the UN summit, several women’s rights activists have protested the meeting, calling it an attempt to normalize political relations with the Taliban. Speaking to KabulNow, a female protester said that instead of engaging in talks with the regime in Kabul, the international community should prosecute them for their widespread violation of women’s rights in Afghanistan.
However, the US announced earlier that it is not seeking to normalize relations or recognize the Taliban. During a press briefing on Monday, February 12, White House spokesman John Kirby, responding to whether the US views the upcoming Doha meeting as a move to legitimize the Taliban, stated that the Taliban must honor its promises to be seen as legitimate government. “They haven’t done that,” Kirby noted. “Nothing has changed about our policy when it comes to the Taliban,” he emphasized.
Ahead of the UN summit, Kyrgyzstan hosted an EU-Central Asia Summit on Afghanistan, with the presence of EU Special Envoy for Afghanistan Tomas Niklasson, EU Special Envoy for Central Asia Terhi Hakala, and the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Roza Otunbayeva.
Mr. Niklasson’s trip to Kyrgyzstan follows his four-day visit to Afghanistan, where he engaged in talks with Taliban authorities, including the regime’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi. Concluding his trip to Afghanistan, he called the upcoming Doha meeting an important opportunity for meaningful talks about Afghanistan.
Furthermore, the Taliban organized the “Afghanistan’s Regional Cooperation Initiative” summit in January, which was attended by diplomatic representatives from 11 countries in the region.
