Taliban demands too much to attend a UN meeting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated Monday that the Taliban put up intolerable requirements to attend an Afghanistan-related meeting that was sponsored by the UN.

At the end of a two-day meeting in Qatar, Guterres stated that among the demands made by the Taliban were the exclusion of members of Afghan civil society from the negotiations in Doha, Qatar, and treatment that would equate to the official acknowledgement of the Taliban as the nation’s legitimate rulers.

After twenty years of conflict, the US and NATO forces withdrew in 2021, giving the Taliban control. As the government of Afghanistan, they are not recognised by any nation, and the UN has stated that this will likely never change as long as there are restrictions on women’s access to work and education.

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The two-day meeting in Doha brought together member states and special envoys. But the Taliban didn’t attend because their demands had not been met.

I received a letter (from the Taliban) with a set of conditions to be present in this meeting that were not acceptable, Guterres told a news conference. These conditions denied us the right to talk to other representatives of Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would, to a large extent, be similar to recognition.

While he denied the Taliban absence was damaging the process, he said it would have been useful to discuss the meeting’s conclusions with them. It did not happen today. It will happen in the near future. I think we will find a solution to allow for the participation of the Taliban.

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Taliban officials were not immediately available for comment.

The biggest point of contention between the international community and the Taliban are the bans imposed on women and girls. The Taliban insist the bans are a domestic matter and reject criticism as outside interference, but Guterres said meeting participants agreed it was essential to revoke the restrictions.

Another is the appointment of a UN special envoy, which the Taliban oppose.

Guterres said there needed to be clear consultations with the Taliban to have clarification of the envoy’s role and who it could be to make it attractive from their point of view.

He said it was in the Taliban’s interests to be part of the consultations.

With inputs from The Associated Press