IEA decides against participation in Doha meeting

KABUL (Pajhwok): Reiterating its stance on participation in Doha meeting, the acting Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) government said participation in Doha meeting would have been beneficial if there was an opportunities for senior level talks on core issues, according to a statement ton Saturday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said: “IEA believed that the meeting of Special Envoys for Afghanistan being convened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in the capital of Qatar, Doha, was a good opportunity to hold frank and productive dialogue on issues of disagreement.”

The statement added: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has clarified to the UN that if the Islamic Emirate is to participate as the sole official representative of Afghanistan and if there exists an opportunity to hold frank talks between the Afghan delegation and the UN about all issues on a very senior level, then participation would be beneficial. Else, ineffective participation by the Emirate due to non-progress in this area was deemed unbeneficial.”

“It should be noted that if the UN takes stock of current realities, rebuffs influence and pressure by a few parties, and takes into consideration the fact that unlike the previous twenty-year regime, this government of Afghanistan cannot be coerced by anyone, then there exists possibility of achieving progress in talks with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” the statement said.

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