The two-day United Nations meeting with the participation of special representatives from various countries regarding Afghanistan concluded in Doha yesterday. The Secretary-General of the United Nations described the two-day Doha Meeting as effective and constructive. He pointed out challenges in the global community’s interaction with the Taliban, adding that participants have agreed on many issues regarding how to engage with Afghanistan and the Taliban. He also highlighted concerns about the worsening situation of women, the absence of an all-inclusive government, and the persistent threat of terrorism in Afghanistan. Some political analysts assess the outcome of this meeting positively, emphasizing that it addressed Afghanistan’s key demands. However, some political activists view the consequences of this meeting negatively, stating that the polarization of countries on the Afghanistan issue will lead the country into more serious crises.
The two-day Doha Meeting hosted by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, held on February 18th and 19th, concluded yesterday. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, deemed it effective and constructive but added that challenges still exist in the global community’s interaction with the Taliban.
In a press conference, the UN Secretary-General stated that participants have agreed on many issues regarding how to engage with Afghanistan and the Taliban. He reiterated the global community’s demands from the Taliban, adding that the current deadlock with the Taliban revolves around establishing an all-inclusive government representing all ethnic groups. He noted that there is still no assurance that a roadmap to address the concerns of both sides has been formulated.
Regarding the impasse in engaging with the Taliban, Mr. Guterres added: “The Taliban believe that the concerns of the international community are irrelevant to them and seek recognition. The international community believes that no progress has been made regarding their concerns, so there has been no progress in recognizing them officially.”
Mr. Guterres emphasized that progress in human rights, especially women’s rights, which are considered key demands and fundamental conditions for recognizing the Taliban, has not materialized.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations stated in his press conference that there was a plan to hold a session with the presence of Taliban representatives after discussions with special representatives of countries and to share the results of the discussions with this group, but the Taliban did not accept the UN’s invitation.
Mr. Guterres added regarding the Taliban’s proposed conditions: “First of all, they demanded that we not talk to other representatives of Afghan society. They also requested a manner of engagement that was quite similar to recognition.”
However, he said that for effectiveness and achieving the desired and final outcome, future meetings will be held with a different structure and content. Mr. Guterres expressed hope that the Taliban would participate in those next meetings.
The Secretary-General of the UN, regarding the appointment of a UN special Envoy of this organization for interaction between the international community and the Taliban, stated that they will continue their consultations on this matter and a decision will be made later. He emphasized that various organizations and countries are engaging with the Taliban, which requires more coordination, hence the proposal for appointing a special envoy to delve into the issues deeply. Mr. Guterres emphasized that in this meeting, an agreement was reached to form a smaller group consisting of representatives from several countries. According to him, this group should include representatives from neighboring countries, donor countries, and the United Nations to engage with the Taliban in a coordinated manner on Afghanistan issues.
At the end of the Doha Meeting, the UN Secretary-General, with a touch of irony, voiced hope that discussions between the UN and the Taliban wouldn’t falter due to the Taliban’s nonattendance. He criticized the Taliban’s refusal letter for containing “unacceptable” demands. Stressing the importance of listening to other Afghan factions, he highlighted that the Taliban’s absence not only didn’t disrupt the meeting but also led to productive outcomes. He praised talks with special country representatives as “highly constructive” and highlighted consensus on crucial matters.
The Doha Meeting faced extensive domestic and international reactions. Some political factions opposed to the Taliban, and civil society organizations, through joint statements, deemed the meeting not beneficial for Afghanistan. However, some experts believe the meeting had positive implications for Afghanistan while also aligning the position of the Western countries about certain regional powers like China and Russia.
Azimullah Warsaji, a former embassy official of Afghanistan in Qatar, considers the participation of civil society and women representatives in the Doha Meeting a positive step, acting as messengers of the people of Afghanistan in the absence of strong opposition. He views Mr. Guterres’s remarks on countering terrorism, worsening women’s situation, the absence of an all-inclusive government, and Russia’s refusal to engage with civil society representatives as other positive aspects of the meeting.
The former official of the Afghan Embassy in Doha adds that despite criticisms against the United Nations, the organization and the Security Council have spoken in defense of the people of Afghanistan. He predicts that the UN will continue to regularly publish its human rights reports on Afghanistan and appoint its special envoy for Afghanistan affairs.
Mr. Guterres stated in his press conference that the essential demands of the people of Afghanistan in this meeting have been reflected by Western countries and even some neighboring countries. He considers the absence of a unified political opposition as a tragedy for the people of Afghanistan and emphasizes that a strong opposition and rival to the Taliban has not emerged to be invited as the main party to these meetings by the global community.
According to the former official of the Afghan Embassy in Qatar, the Doha Meeting clarified that there is no international consensus on Afghanistan, and a sort of global polarization on the Afghanistan issue has been revealed. He states that Eastern countries such as China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan on one side, and the European Union, the United States, and Canada on the other, have initiated a “soft confrontation,” and these alignments will be delineated in the Security Council. In Mr. Warsaji’s view, regional countries that have somewhat falsely given the Taliban a supportive mindset have neither supported them as much as the West nor will they cooperate or assist in the future.
However, Samad Samadi, a military analyst, claims to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Doha Meeting has once again brought Afghanistan into “a big game.” He asserts that the close ties between Russia, China, and Iran with the Taliban have displeased Western countries, prompting them to advance their moves.
The Taliban did not participate in this meeting due to their demands not being met. The group had stated that they should attend the meeting as the official representatives of Afghanistan and no one would participate as civil society representatives of Afghanistan, and they should also negotiate with the UN Secretary-General. These demands were not accepted.
Meanwhile, Russia has deemed the Taliban’s decision to abstain from the meeting as “logical.” Furthermore, its representatives have refrained from meeting with Afghan civil society representatives at the Taliban’s behest.
