Afghanistan Times
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Kabul: A closed-door summit on Afghanistan ended Tuesday in Qatar without any formal acknowledgment of the ruling governing body, though the United Nations’ chief said they would hold another meeting in the future.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres attended the summit, which the world body described as nations and organizations trying to reach unified stances on human rights, governance, counterterrorism and anti-drug efforts.
“To achieve our objectives, we cannot disengage,” Guterres said. “And many called for engagement to be more effective and based on lessons we have learned from the past.”
Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Taliban´s political office in Doha, told The Associated Press that the new Afghan government dismissed the talks.
“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. “One-sided decisions couldn´t deliver. Afghanistan is an independent country. It has its own voice; we want them to listen to our voice.”
Shaheen on Sunday met Andrew McCoubrey, director of Afghanistan and Pakistan at the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office, and Yue Xiaoyong, China´s special envoy for Afghanistan, in Doha.
Meanwhile, concerns remain over Afghanistan again becoming a haven for Islamic extremists wanting to strike out abroad. Since the takeover, the U.S. has carried out drone strikes targeting alleged terrorists.
Those concerns have complicated how nations, particularly the West, deal with Afghanistan today.
The countries that took part in the Doha summit included China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Uzbekistan.
