By Girish Linganna
The Afghan Taliban leaders will join a two-day United Nations meeting about Afghanistan on June 30. They had missed the last two meetings. Their attendance shows progress and suggests that the global community may discover improved methods to engage with the unofficial leaders in Kabul. The main goal of the third round of talks is to boost international involvement with Afghanistan in a more organized and unified way, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
In consonance with Kabul's agreement, chief Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told the Afghan media that the Taliban government had found the agenda of the forthcoming talks helpful for Afghanistan; so, there would be no preconditions this time around. Mujahid told Tolo News, as quoted by AL-MONITOR, “We'll announce who's in the delegation later. We believe this will benefit Afghanistan.”
Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi, however, later retorted that any alteration to the agenda or participation would be grounds for reconsideration.
Afghan Taliban Skipped Earlier Conferences: Since the Taliban took power in 2021, Afghanistan's new government has not been recognized by any other country. The international community is struggling to find a way to engage with the Taliban constructively without encouraging its extreme elements.
In May 2023, Guterres started the first Doha conference to boost engagement and provide humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, without inviting the Taliban. ^The Taliban chose not to attend the second meeting in February, which included special representatives from 25 countries.
To ensure attendance at the third meeting, the Afghan government emphasised that only delegates they nominated should be accepted as the country's official representatives. They also demanded that Afghan civil society leaders and women's rights activists be left out of the process. They wanted meetings between their delegation and the UN to be organized at a very high level.
Because many of the Taliban's top leaders are still under UN sanctions for terrorism, Guterres said their demands were not acceptable.
At the same time, the government in Kabul was upset about a plan to appoint a UN special envoy to Afghanistan, which was suggested by a UN coordinator. According to the Taliban, this kind of action is usually taken for countries that are in conflict, or at war.
Riccardo Valle, director of research at The Khorasan Diary in Islamabad, told Al-Monitor about the possible effects of including the Taliban in 6the forthcoming talks. He said, “This time, the interim government has said it will join the talks. This should be seen as a practical step by the Afghan Taliban to gradually become part of the international community.”
According to Valle, the Taliban are joining the talks because of such important issues as getting international aid and creating economic opportunities for potential investors in the country. Although the UN has stated that including the Taliban in the talks does not mean they are recognized, it still represents a win for Taliban diplomacy. This allows them to stick to their key demands, while slowly improving their relationships with other countries, Valle noted.
Qatar and the Taliban: Qatar, despite being a small country in the Gulf Cooperation Council, has taken on the challenging role of engaging with the Taliban. It is providing a venue for the Taliban to negotiate with global powers. The effort has really paid off, as Doha has strengthened its diplomatic reputation—both regionally and globally—by acting as a bridge between Afghanistan and other countries.
Guido Steinberg, a researcher and senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, says Qatar has been acting as a mediator in regional politics for nearly 20 years. According to a report by Al-Monior, Qatar's main goal in doing this is to strengthen its position in the region. Although the second UN conference did not achieve any results because the Taliban did not attend, the UN and other important parties are urging the Taliban to join the next meeting. Qatar, as host, is thought to have been crucial in convincing them to participate.
The relationship between Doha and the Afghan Taliban is not new. Back in 2013, Qatar let the Taliban open a political office in its capital, Doha, and began acting as a mediator. Qatar not only helped organize the US-Taliban talks that resulted in the 2020 Doha Agreement, but also assisted in evacuating foreign troops and civilians from Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban took control and the US had to withdraw after 20 years.
Due to a UN visa ban and the fact that they cannot have an ambassador represent Afghanistan at the UN General Assembly, the Taliban now rely on their office in Doha to communicate and negotiate with other countries.
Valle spoke about whether Qatar's actions had made the Taliban more confident and accepted as a governing body by involving them in the negotiations. He said that Qatar followed a slow, long-term approach, and that was showing results, adding that the fact that the Taliban as taking part in the third UN meet in Doha supported this trend.
If Qatar keeps using the same strategy, the Afghan Taliban will likely become more involved in economic, political and, possibly, even diplomatic relations over time, Valle believes.
Khristo Ayad, a senior adviser at InStrat, an independent research and advisory platform in Doha, told Al-Monitor that Doha has been crucial in facilitating and mediating ongoing communication with the Taliban since the West's retreat from Afghanistan in 2021. Although Qatar is well-known for its skill in soft-power diplomacy, its role as a mediator is closely connected to its international partners and the broader multilateral context.
Highlighting Qatar's skillful handling of a tough situation, Ayad stated that “there were concerns about how to set up a constructive engagement with Taliban-controlled Kabul to prevent worsening humanitarian conditions”.
Describing Qatar's internationally coordinated efforts to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table should, possibly, be approached with more caution. From the beginning, Doha emphasised that its involvement was based on the need for constructive dialogue and a trust-building process, without compromising human rights and international standards
Meanwhile, since the Taliban government has faced criticism from women's rights groups, there is significant pressure from various civil society organizations to prioritize women's rights and ensure Afghan women are included in the third UN conference in Doha. Last week marked 1,000 days since the Taliban banned education for girls over age 12, despite a global outrage. UNICEF had termed this a “sad and sobering milestone”. One thousand days away from school means a loss of 3 billion learning hours for Afghan girls, it said.
Later, the Taliban expanded the ban to include universities, preventing many Afghan women from finishing their degrees. After gaining control, they also made women leave their jobs, except for those in the health sector. Additionally, women are not allowed to appear on TV, or visit parks, or go anywhere outside without a male guardian.
In his latest report, Richard Bennett, the UN's special expert on Afghan human rights, urged that the Taliban be held responsible for their actions against women and girls. He said the Taliban had given birth to a system that discriminated against women and girls, segregates them and excluded them. The Taliban refuse to change their policies on women and girls, sticking to a strict, extreme, Shariah interpretation of religion and local culture. They argue that calls to lift the ban are interfering in Afghanistan's internal matters.
Qatar has raised similar concerns, notes Ayad. In a recent UN statement, Qatar's representative underscored the growing problems in Afghanistan, such as the worsening humanitarian and economic situations, poor living conditions and severe human rights issues. They particularly highlighted the challenges faced by women and girls, including their basic freedom and right to education and work. (IPA Service)
