The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that representatives from the Ministries of Interior, Industry and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, the Central Bank of Afghanistan, and the head of the Islamic Emirate’s Qatar-based Political Office will participate in the third Doha meeting.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, confirmed this during a meeting with UNAMA head Roza Otunbayeva, and also both sides discussed the agenda of the third meeting.
The statement of the ministry said: “The two sides discussed and exchanged views on the agenda and other related issues, in addition to the participation of the Islamic Emirate delegation in the Doha meeting.”
“The meetings are influential but cannot fundamentally solve the issues,” said Baqir Saeer, a political analyst.
Meanwhile, the US State Department also announced the participation of its special representatives for Afghanistan in the third Doha meeting, highlighting that the interim government must take its commitments under the Doha Agreement seriously, especially regarding the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US State Department, speaking at a press briefing, said: “We will be participating in that conference because we take – we will continue, with the international community, to impress upon the Taliban that they need to take seriously their obligations under the Doha Agreement, and that includes with regards to the treatment of women and girls, which, of course, continues to be appalling.”
At the same time, Rina Amiri, United States Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, said that the cycle of conflict in this country will not stop until the issue of women and girls is included in the agenda of the Doha meeting.
Meanwhile, China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong, told an Iranian media outlet that the Doha meeting will be held informally and behind closed doors. The Chinese diplomat added that he hopes this meeting will not be as unsuccessful as the previous Doha meetings.
China’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said: “I don’t know how this meeting will be; but what I do know is that this meeting will be informal, behind closed doors, and it will not be in a way that people can fully discuss the issues.”
The United Nations has stated that the third Doha meeting is being held to encourage the governing authorities in Afghanistan to engage with the world.
According to Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General, the issue of human rights, especially the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, will be highlighted at the third Doha meeting.
Reuters news agency quoted the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson as saying: “The aim of it (the third Doha meeting) is to encourage the governing authorities to engage with the international community through a coordinated and structured approach for the benefit of the Afghan people.”
The news agency also reported Dujarric as saying that the United Nations will highlight the issue of human rights and the rights of Afghan women and girls in all discussions. The report added: “Human rights and the rights of women and girls will be highlighted by the United Nations in all discussions.”
Zalmay Afghanyar, a political analyst, spoke about the importance of this meeting, stating: “If Afghanistan’s national interests are discussed at these meetings and intelligence and political confrontations are not the focus, without a doubt, it will be beneficial for both sides.”
Alamtab Rasooli, a women’s rights activist, says: “In three years, which is a long time, they have done nothing that has yielded satisfactory results and benefited women.”
The third Doha meeting will be held at the end of this month (June). The Islamic Emirate will also send a delegation to represent the interim government at this meeting; however, it is not yet clear at what level this delegation will participate in the meeting.
In the meantime, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in remarks about the Doha meeting, said that the Islamic Emirate will participate in this meeting; however, it is still unclear who will represent the interim government at this meeting.
Amir Khan Muttaqi said: “The Doha meeting will be held in the coming days, and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has also been officially invited to participate in this meeting. This also indicates that the importance and status of the Islamic Emirate are being increasingly recognized by the world.”
The first Doha meeting, led by the UN Secretary-General, was held in May 2023 without the presence of the Islamic Emirate, and in the second Doha meeting, the Islamic Emirate refrained from participating due to the non-acceptance of its demands.
In the third Doha meeting, Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, and Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, are expected to meet with the delegation of the Islamic Emirate and special representatives of countries for Afghanistan. They will also meet with civil activists and women on the second day of July.—Tolonews
