A closed-door summit on Afghanistan ended Tuesday in Qatar, without any formal recognition of the Taliban.
Representatives of some 20 countries participated in the meeting, but there was not even a woman from Afghanistan who is deprived of education by the Islamist rulers.
Activists were worried that the gathering in Doha could see the international community reach a recognition deal with the Taliban, but the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said it was about developing a common international approach, not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities.
The political analyst and University lecture, Ahmad Saeedi, said the meeting ended to the Taliban detriment, no country was willing to recognize them.
On the other hand, the Taliban criticized the two-day meeting, saying their exclusion was “discriminatory and unjustified.”
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban nominated person to the UN, said that issues of Afghanistan can be solved only through the participation of the Taliban authorities – the main party to the issue – in the UN meeting.
“If they are not ready to hear us and know our position regarding the issues, how can they reach a convincing and palatable solution?” Shaheen said.
In a situation that Afghan girls beyong sixth grade are banned from education, and women are barred from working, studying, traveling without a male companion, and even going to parks or bath houses, Guterres offered stinging criticism of the Taliban’s treatment of women, saying their ban on women’s work in aid groups was “unacceptable and puts lives in jeopardy.”
“Although another meeting is coming and there are still concerns, but it is very unlikely that the Taliban recognition will be raised again,” Saeedi hopefully said.
Meanwhile, Afghan women believe their problems were not the main agenda of this meeting, despite a lot of protests the UN did not show any practical action.
Rights activists also criticized Doha meeting saying that it was pathetic to learn that not only Afghans were denied of participation in Doha but the only UN Human Rights expert, Richard Bennett, had not been invited either.
“After this meeting, the role of the UN representative in Afghanistan will become more colorful, and he will be the final decision-maker on Afghanistan issues” Saeedi said.
To wrap up, the Doha meeting has many sides for Afghan people’s future, and the fate of the Taliban government. Activists said that the meeting showed the level of commitment of the UN to the human rights situation in Afghanistan. Taliban also criticized the two-day meeting saying that the main party was denied of participation.
The post Doha meeting, in favor or against Taliban? appeared first on Aamaj News.
Source: Aamaj News
