Strong consensus on collective interests in Afghanistan exist: West

KABUL (Pajhwok): US special envoy for Afghanistan Thomas West has said the two-day meeting on Afghanistan in Doha discussed economic needs, human rights and the importance of continued engagement.

West wrote on X that a strong consensus on collective interests in Afghanistan existed, including the desire to see women and girls return to secondary school, university, and work.

He described the recent UN meeting in Doha as productive.

“No country wants to see the emergence of a terrorism threat from Afghanistan. All want to see women and girls return to secondary school, university, work, and public life,” West stated in a post about the conference.

Regarding future steps, West welcomed the continuation of the current meeting format and called for a UN-led process to develop a roadmap for Afghanistan’s full integration into the international community.

“The Afghan people’s well-being, and the international community’s shared interests, must guide this work,” he concluded.

No official from the caretaker government in Kabul attended the UN-convened meeting in Doha, saying their legitimate terms for participating in the talks were ignored.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejected the idea that the UN had failed to bring Afghanistan current rulers to the table because of ineffective communication and said “I received a letter [from the Taliban] with a set of conditions to be present in this meeting that were not acceptable.”

“These conditions denied us the right to talk to other representatives of Afghan society and demanded a treatment that would, to a large extent, be similar to recognition,” the UN chief said during a media stakeout on Monday.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan refused to attend the talks, citing their participation was “unbeneficial” if the UN did not recognise them as the sole representatives of Afghanistan.

The two-day meeting, which concluded on Monday in the Qatari capital, aimed to bring together member states and international envoys to address various issues confronting Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Guterres said the Doha meeting reached a consensus on proposals from an independent UN assessment on Afghanistan.

Guterres said the assessment recommended the appointment of a UN special envoy. He said he would hold consultations to see if there are conditions to create a UN envoy.

“We want an Afghanistan in peace, peace with itself and peace with its neighbours, able to assume commitments and international obligations as the sovereign state.”

He said the envoys had a vision of Afghanistan with inclusive institutions having representation of diverse groups.

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