Afghanistan

US special envoys West, Amiri to attend Doha meeting on Afghanistan, State Department says

WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, and Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, will participate in the third the Doha meeting on Afghanistan, according to Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, Miller stated that the U.S. aims to join the international community in urging the Taliban to honor their commitments regarding the treatment of women.

“I’ll ultimately defer to the UN to talk about the details of the meeting. The U.S. will participate, both our Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tom West, and our Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, will be attending,” Miller said. “They only committed to participate once they secured clarity regarding the substantive agenda and, more importantly, confirmed that there would be meaningful engagement at the conference with Afghan women and members of Afghan civil society.”

“We will continue, with the international community, to impress upon the Taliban that they need to take seriously their obligations under the Doha Agreement, including the treatment of women and girls, which, of course, continues to be appalling,” Miller added.

The United Nations announced that Rosemary DiCarlo, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, will host the meeting.

Reports indicate that the agenda for the third Doha meeting, developed after consultations between the UN and the Taliban, will focus on the private sector and banking, counter-narcotics, and the global community’s engagement with the Taliban.

However, according to a recent UN statement, DiCarlo emphasized that the meeting aims to “integrate Afghanistan into the international community” while addressing the country’s international obligations. She also reiterated that “the Taliban must fulfill Afghanistan’s global commitments.”