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Taliban officials told Afghanistan International that the group has set six conditions for participating in the third Doha meeting during discussions with UN and Qatari delegations in Kabul.
According to the sources, one of the conditions is granting Taliban the Afghanistan’s seat in the United Nations.
Taliban sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Pashto section of Afghanistan International that the second condition is the UN withdrawing its special representative for Afghanistan. The third condition is consulting the Taliban on the agenda and composition of the third Doha meeting.
A diplomatic source also told Afghanistan International that the Taliban strongly oppose the participation of representatives from Afghan civil society and political groups in the third Doha meeting.
The source added that the Taliban’s demand for the UN seat is a tactical move, as they know it is unlikely to be granted.
According to sources within the Taliban, the group also informed the UN and Qatari delegations in Kabul that issues such as girls’ education, women’s employment, and the formation of an inclusive government should not be on the agenda for the third Doha meeting.
The Taliban told these delegations that these are internal matters for Afghanistan and that the group is working to find appropriate solutions.
The sources added that the Taliban stated they would only participate in the meeting if it focuses on Afghanistan’s security, drug eradication, and the fight against armed groups, particularly ISIS.
Meanwhile, according to sources, the UN delegation in Kabul told Taliban officials that the third Doha meeting will discuss girls’ education, women’s employment, the formation of an inclusive government, human rights violations in Taliban prisons, the group’s relationship with Al-Qaeda, and ultimately the international community’s engagement with the group.
Taliban sources said the group is still waiting for their conditions to be accepted before deciding whether to participate in the third Doha meeting.
This meeting, hosted by the UN, is scheduled to be held on June 30 and July 1 with the presence of special representatives for Afghanistan from various countries.
The UN has stated that the purpose of the meeting is to “increase the international community’s coordinated and orderly engagement with Afghanistan.”
The Taliban did not participate in the previous two Doha meetings.
