The terrorists have a seat at the table thanks to President Biden, while ignoring women.
A recent United Nations-led meeting in Qatar, involving the Taliban and representatives from around two dozen countries, has stirred discussions on increasing international engagement with Afghanistan. This gathering, which took place over two days in Doha, marked the first instance where representatives from the Afghan Taliban administration participated in such a U.N.-sponsored event.
The inclusion of the Taliban at this meeting comes amid ongoing complexities regarding their recognition as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. The U.N. Secretary-General, António Guterres, noted that the Taliban had set several unacceptable conditions for their earlier participation, such as excluding Afghan civil society members from the talks and demanding recognition as the country’s official rulers. However, for the Doha meeting, the exclusion of representatives of Afghan women seemingly facilitated the Taliban’s participation, despite assurances from organizers that women’s rights issues would be addressed.
un denies recognition of taliban government following multinational meeting https://t.co/VUVBEw4lyU
— Anessoft Agency (@Anessoft) July 2, 2024
Rosemary A. DiCarlo, the U.N. official for political and peacebuilding affairs, emphasized that the engagement in the Doha meeting does not imply any form of normalization or official recognition of the Taliban. She expressed hope that the discussions might contribute to resolving some issues impacting the Afghan population severely.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief Taliban government spokesman who led their delegation, viewed the event as an opportunity to meet with various country representatives and convey the Taliban’s stance to the participating nations. He highlighted Afghanistan’s need for cooperation in sectors like the private economy and drug control, noting positive responses from most countries present about cooperating in these areas.
Why is this European woman, an UN official .@DicarloRosemary empowering the Taliban terrorist misogyny over the women of Afghanistan?
What’s the hidden agenda?
Bolstering the Taliban equals to #Islamophobia in the world, gender apartheid and ethnic genocide in #Afghanistan. https://t.co/flV0yhOtSq pic.twitter.com/dkgG3Pwm1m
— PANJSHIRI (@TajikResistance) July 3, 2024
The context of this meeting is heavily influenced by the recent history of Afghanistan, where the Taliban seized power in August 2021 amid the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, concluding two decades of military involvement. Currently, no country officially recognizes the Taliban, with the U.N. stating that recognition is nearly impossible as long as the Taliban continue to enforce bans on female education and employment.
It was an honor and privilege to address Doha 3 event in Qatar on 2 July 2024.
I am pleased to share summary of the main points of my address:
1.I welcome steps taken towards promoting dialogue and engagement with the ruling Afghan authorities, that impacts the lives of… pic.twitter.com/RwCB53NQ26— Madina Mahboobi (@madimah764) July 3, 2024
This exclusion of women and broader civil society from direct participation in the meeting’s main sessions has drawn criticism, particularly from Canada. David Sproule, Canada’s special representative for Afghanistan, expressed significant disappointment over this decision by the U.N. organizers. Despite these exclusions, DiCarlo assured that the voices of these groups were still represented and emphasized the essential role of civil society in shaping Afghanistan’s future.
Key Points:
i. First Participation: The UN meeting in Doha was the first to include Taliban representatives, discussing ways to engage with Afghanistan.
ii. Conditions and Participation: The Taliban’s participation followed the exclusion of Afghan women from the meeting, a condition they pushed for in past negotiations.
iii. Non-Recognition: UN officials stressed that the engagement does not equate to recognizing the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government.
iv. International Cooperation: Discussions covered cooperation in economic sectors and drug control, with positive feedback from various countries.
v. Criticism and Inclusion: There was international disappointment over the exclusion of women and civil society, although UN officials claimed these groups’ concerns were represented indirectly.
RM Tomi – Reprinted with permission of Whatfinger News
