Iran’s Envoy Seeks A UN Special Representative With Deep Understanding Of Afghanistan

Zakharova called the two-day United Nations meeting on Afghanistan in Doha a "failure”.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that no decision was made regarding the previously announced UN plans to establish a special envoy post and a "small contact group" for Afghanistan.

She emphasised that such an issue was placed on the agenda without proper explanation.

Zakharova added that the inclusion of extra-regional parties is only possible on the condition that the USA and NATO take primary responsibility for the current situation in Afghanistan and the country's post-war reconstruction and return the frozen assets to Kabul.

The spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the Russian delegation conducted numerous discussions with representatives from China, Iran, and Pakistan on the sidelines of the Doha meeting, emphasising Russia's solidarity in strengthening regional cooperation.

Zakharova added that the Russian side refrained from contacting Afghan representatives at this meeting as a sign of solidarity.

The second United Nations meeting on Afghanistan was held on Sunday and Monday, hosted by Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, in Qatar.

Russian and Iranian special representatives refrained from meeting with five representatives of the Afghan civil society at the Doha meeting upon the request of the Taliban's Foreign Ministry.

Vahidi emphasised that Iran had previously announced that illegal migrants must be expelled from the country.

According to Tasnim News Agency, on Wednesday, he told reporters that a bill has been prepared to address illegal migrants and has been submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly for approval.

The Islamic Republic's Interior Minister mentioned the distribution of cards to Afghan migrants, stating that these cards have been prepared and are in the process of being distributed.

This comes after the National Immigration Administration of Iran announced a residency scheme for migrants, under which migrants can obtain residency by paying 100 million tomans.

Following the Taliban's ascension to power in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan refugees fled to various countries, including Iran and Pakistan. Both countries have expelled thousands of refugees in recent months and returned them to Afghanistan. It has been reported that the Islamic Republic has recently intensified the expulsion of refugees.

The Front has increased its attacks against the Taliban in recent days.

On Wednesday, AFF stated in a press release that the Taliban fighter killed in this attack was named "Amaldin.”

The Taliban has not yet publicly commented on the attack.

AFF occasionally reports attacks on Taliban bases in various regions of Afghanistan.

Recently, Sadr Ibrahim, the deputy director of the Taliban's intelligence agency, called for coordination and focus on security in the northern regions of Afghanistan.

Armed groups opposing the Taliban, including the Afghanistan Freedom Front and the National Resistance Front, primarily fight against Taliban forces in the northern provinces.

They said that gender apartheid was a "real threat" to millions of women and girls around the world.

These experts emphasised that adding gender apartheid to the list of crimes against humanity would be a long overdue recognition by the international community.

According to them, "Laws, policies and practices that relegate women to conditions of extreme inequality and oppression, with the intent of effectively extinguishing their human rights, reflect the very core of apartheid systems."

UN experts said that the Taliban's edicts, policies, and practices in Afghanistan create an institutionalised system of discrimination, oppression and domination over women and girls, which amounts to gender apartheid.

“The Taliban’s rule makes codifying gender apartheid in international law particularly urgent, as it would allow the international community to better identify and address the regime’s attacks on Afghan women and girls for what they are,” the experts added.

These experts demanded the inclusion of gender apartheid in the list of crimes against humanity under the second article of the draft articles on the prevention and punishment of crimes against humanity.

They also called on member states and the United Nations General Assembly to support the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime against humanity.

In the past two and a half years, the Taliban had issued dozens of decrees restricting women in various areas of life, such as social participation, education, employment, freedom of movement, and travel.

Several human rights experts and activists have called the Taliban's actions against Afghan women an example of "gender apartheid".

Afghan citizens and activists have repeatedly launched demonstrations in cities around the world and demanded the recognition of gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

Miller emphasised that the Taliban are not the only ones who have a stake in the future of Afghanistan.

He made these statement on Tuesday in response to the question of Marzia Hussaini, a reporter of Afghanistan International, about the US assessment of the Taliban's representative not going to the Doha meeting and the refusal of Russia and Iran to meet with the representatives of the Afghan civil society.

US State Department Spokesperson added that they encourage every country to interact with representatives of the civil society in addition to the Taliban.

The special representatives of Russia and Iran refused to meet with five representatives of the Afghan civil society at the Doha meeting at the request of the Taliban's foreign ministry. The Taliban's Foreign Ministry has said that they were invited to this UN meeting in Qatar without consulting with them.

Miller said that the purpose of the US special representatives' participation in the Doha meeting was to re-emphasise the Taliban's commitment to respect human rights and prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hotbed for terrorism.

“We were trying to achieve a number of things: One, to make it clear that Afghanistan should not be a hotbed for terrorist activities that impact other countries; two, a vision for Afghanistan with inclusive institutions in which its diverse groups all feel represented in a state that is truly inclusive; and number three, a concern about the respect of human rights, and in particular the rights of women and girls,” he said.

At the same time as the start of the Doha meeting on February 19, Abdul Salaam Hanafi, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban, in a meeting with Kanni Wignaraja the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, said that the Taliban has ensured security in Afghanistan and has been successful in the fight against terrorism. Therefore, they have fulfilled the conditions for recognition.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, was scheduled to attend the Doha meeting. However, the participation of the senior Taliban diplomat was called off due to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres declining to meet with Muttaqi.

During a press conference, Guterres said that accepting the demands of the Taliban’s foreign minister was equivalent to recognising the group. He emphasised that the Taliban will not be recognised if they disregard the concerns of the world.