United Nations (UN) chief Antonio Guterres will be holding talks with international envoys at an unknown location in Doha on Monday in a bid to explore ways to influence Taliban rulers in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is being considered as being in the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world by the United Nations and Guterres’ dilemma on appropriate actions has further increased by the banning of girls from schools and women from working in NGOs as well as UN agencies by the Taliban administration.
The government of Taliban, which came back to power in August, 2021, will not attend the talks which will include representatives from around 25 nations and international organisations, as per the diplomats.
Ahead of the meeting, a group of women in Kabul on Saturday protested against any international recognition of the Taliban government. However, the Western powers and the UN remain adamant that this issue will not be discussed.
“Any kind of recognition of the Taliban is completely off the table,” US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel stated.
The UN secretary-general will be giving an update on a review of the critical relief operation of the world body in Afghanistan which was ordered in April after Afghan women were stopped by the authorities from working with the UN agencies, said the diplomats.
UN expert for the International Crisis Group Richard Gowan said that the United Nations is “in a trap over Afghanistan”.
“Guterres has to untangle a very complicated knot. He needs to find a way to keep aid flowing into Afghanistan, but the Taliban ban on women is a huge blow to the UN’s ability to operate in the country,” he added.
He stated that the international community wishes that the UN’s critical presence is maintained.
“There are lots of differences among Security Council members over Afghanistan. But everyone, including Russia and China, agrees it is better to have the UN in Kabul than not,” he added.
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A few indications has been given by the United Nations about what proposals could be made during the meeting.
On Friday, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that the aim “is to reinvigorate international engagement around common objectives for a durable way forward on Afghanistan”.
The UN also wants “unity or commonality of message” on women’s and human rights, drug trafficking and countering terrorism.
“Recognition is not an issue,” insisted Dujarric. The UN General Assembly will be deciding if the Taliban government takes up the UN seat in Afghanistan.
(With inputs from agencies)
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