Ahead of a significant UN meeting in Doha focused on Afghanistan, a diverse coalition of Taliban opposition factions, including armed resistance fronts, protesting women, and various political groups, issued a joint statement emphasizing that the Taliban do not authentically represent the Afghan people. Concurrently, the Taliban's Foreign Ministry announced its decision to not participate in the Doha conference, citing a mismatch in expectations regarding the nature of the meeting, which they anticipated to be a negotiation with the international community. The Afghan Interim Ministry of Foreign Affairs further clarified that the meeting would not be beneficial unless certain conditions are met. Despite the Taliban's absence, national and regional special envoys convened in Doha for the second UN meeting of its kind in less than a year, with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing hope for future Taliban participation. Guterres also announced plans to consult on the appointment of a UN envoy to facilitate engagement between Afghanistan's Taliban government and the international community. Russia endorsed the Taliban's decision to abstain from the meeting, with the Russian envoy also avoiding meetings with Afghan civil society representatives at the Taliban's request. Guterres highlighted that the Taliban set unacceptable conditions for attending the UN-sponsored meeting, insisting that their delegation should be recognized as the sole representatives of Afghanistan.
Taliban refuses to attend a UN-sponsored conference in Qatar, insisting that their delegation should be recognized as the sole representatives of Afghanistan https://t.co/Gdv3AGQxlD https://t.co/8PrAu3cueK
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the Taliban has set unacceptable conditions for attending a UN-sponsored meeting in Doha on Afghanistan. https://t.co/HgxIwIdu2u
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said international envoys to Afghanistan hope for Taliban participation at their future meetings after the authorities snubbed an invitation to talks in Doha. https://t.co/lrX2Sgtr8J https://t.co/CuL3QWM6uK
Russia endorsed the Taliban's decision to abstain from the Doha meeting on Afghanistan, considering it 'valid'. Russian envoy also refrained from meeting Afghan civil society representatives in the conference at the Taliban's request. The @RusEmbassyKabul stated that the Taliban… https://t.co/COuXAXUiWn
⚠️ UN TO EXPLORE APPOINTMENT OF ENVOY TO ENGAGE TALIBAN WITH INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY (Reuters) The United Nations secretary general will begin consultations on the appointment of a U.N. envoy to coordinate engagement between Afghanistan's Taliban government and the… https://t.co/67RxA9MxMk
UN Secretary-General @antonioguterres speaking to the press on the second meeting of Special Envoys on Afghanistan in Doha Webcast here: https://t.co/uArsPxHLbG https://t.co/4DWLO5QI43
National and regional special envoys to #Afghanistan have convened in #Doha in the second #UN meeting of its kind in less than a year, though it remains unclear whether Taliban authorities will join the closed-session event. https://t.co/QxC2U672SW
ALERT: The Afghan Interim Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement, has expressed the interim government's view on the upcoming UN meeting in Doha, stating that it would not be beneficial unless certain conditions are met. The Interim Ministry emphasized that the meeting… https://t.co/Ncf6Ijj8v7
The Taliban's Foreign Ministry issued a statement signaling non-participation in the upcoming Doha conference on Afghanistan. It seems the IEA anticipated the meeting to be a negotiation between the international community and the Taliban as the de facto government of… https://t.co/TW30Qw8UW6
Diverse Taliban opposition factions, including armed resistance fronts, protesting women, and various political coalitions and groups, have issued a joint statement ahead of the upcoming Doha meeting. Stressing that the Taliban do not authentically represent Afghans, the… https://t.co/VLdNvKglRq https://t.co/OYV0ly1Z7p