In a meeting UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo, Taliban’s deputy chief minister for political affairs, Abdul Kabir, expressed hope that their stance on participation in the upcoming Doha meeting would be accepted.
Kabir said the previous Doha meeting was “incomplete due to some shortcomings by the organizers,” according to a Taliban statement.
Taliban did not participate in the second Doha meeting in February, citing unmet conditions.
However, after that meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the Taliban’s conditions unacceptable.
The third Doha meeting on Afghanistan has been scheduled for next month.
Kabir also claimed that 85,000 women are employed in the Taliban’s government and that the Taliban is committed to hiring professional staff, including women.
This statement comes amid ongoing criticism from the international community and women’s rights activists regarding the Taliban’s repressive policies towards women, including denying them the rights to education and work.
Kabir reiterated that the Taliban has fulfilled its commitments over the past nearly three years, claiming that “Daesh has been eliminated” and that no threats have emanated from Afghanistan towards anyone.
However, UN Security Council reports highlight the presence of thousands of Daesh fighters and other terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, in Afghanistan. According to the UN Security Council, around 6,000 ISIS fighters are present in Afghanistan, and al-Qaeda has established new training camps.
Taliban’s statement revealed that Kabir emphasized engagement with the international community and stressed that there is no need for the appointment of a special UN envoy as long as the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan is operating. The appointment of a special envoy is considered one of the key topics of the Doha meeting.
The statement also claimed that the UN Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs called the Taliban’s conditions for participating in the meeting “not difficult,” hoping that the Taliban delegation would participate.
