Tomas Niklasson, the European Union Special Envoy for Afghanistan, said that in the Doha meeting, the consistent view was that the conditions for recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate government was not in place.
Niklasson added that the participants believed that engagement with the Taliban and other Afghans must continue to address shared concerns.
In a statement after his visit to Kabul, the EU special envoy stressed that issues of concerns that need to be communicated with the Taliban are security and counter-terrorism, the need for inclusive governance, upholding human rights, preventing irregular migration and human trafficking, countering narcotics production and smuggling, and stabilising the Afghan economy.
Niklasson also called on the Taliban to lift all the bans and restrictions on Afghan women. He said that the human rights situation in the country remained deeply concerning as documented in the recent reports by the UN Special Rapporteur about human rights in Afghanistan and by UNAMA.
The Doha meeting between the UN Secretary-General and special envoys of various countries had been held on May 1 and 2 in Qatar.
Ahead of the meeting, Amina Mohammed, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, had said at Princeton University that in order to prevent the deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan, it is necessary to engage with the group. She had expressed hopes that the first steps of the official recognition of the Taliban would be discussed at the Doha meeting.
The statements of the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations had been met with sharp criticisms from various political groups, women, and human rights organisations.
