KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – After over two months of internal discussions, the Taliban has confirmed that their delegation will attend the third round of UN-hosted talks on Afghanistan.
In an interview with the local news outlet TOLOnews, Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid expressed that the meeting is in Afghanistan’s best interest and that the composition of their delegation will be announced shortly.
“The composition of the delegation will be announced later, God willing, and we considered this in Afghanistan’s best interest,” Mr. Mujahid said. “the main and important topics are humanitarian aid in Afghanistan and creating opportunities for investors in Afghanistan. There may be other topics as well, but all are considered beneficial for Afghanistan,” he added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, has warned that any changes to the agenda or the list of participants previously shared with the regime could affect their decision to participate.
“The agenda and participation list of the upcoming Doha meeting shared with the Islamic Emirate after two months of discussions with the UN, it was decided in principle to participate in the said meeting,” Balkhi said.
“If there are any changes to the agenda and participation, it would naturally affect our decision which we will share with all sides at that time,” he added.
The UN is preparing for its third high-level meeting with the participation of special envoys from various countries on Afghanistan. The meeting is scheduled for June 30 and July 1 in Doha, the capital of Qatar.
The UN has said that the third Doha meeting aims to enhance international engagement with the Taliban controlled Afghanistan “in a more coherent, coordinated, and structured manner.”
During her visit to Afghanistan in May, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo, officially extended the UN Secretary-General’s invitation to the Taliban authorities to participate in the meeting.
After receiving the UN’s invitation, the regime in Kabul set conditions for their participation, requesting the agenda and the list of participants. They emphasized their desire for “meaningful” participation in the meeting.
The Taliban did not attend the second similar meeting in February because their demands to be recognized as the “sole official representative of Afghanistan” and to hold talks with the UN Secretary-General were both rejected.
The UN’s invitation to the Taliban for the upcoming meeting has faced criticism from human rights organizations, activists, women’s rights defenders, Afghan political figures, and armed groups opposed to the Taliban.
Several international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, emphasized the importance of the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women from civil society and human rights defenders for the legitimacy of this and any future meetings on Afghanistan.
They have urged the UN and the international community to prioritize discussions on women’s rights during the meeting and to seize the opportunity to convey to the Taliban that the rights of women and girls are non-negotiable.
However, Agence France-Presse (AFP) cited diplomatic sources indicating plans to consult with Afghan civil society groups before and after the upcoming meeting, while excluding them from meetings that involve Taliban authorities.
