Sources told Afghanistan International that Taliban representatives, including Abdul Manan Omari, the special representative of Mullah Hibatullah in Qatar, discussed the third round of the Doha talks with US and UN representatives.
According to the sources, both parties exchanged their respective conditions.
Sources told Abdul Haq Omari, a reporter of Afghanistan International, that Abdul Manan Omari, the Taliban's Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, who went to Doha on May 27, met Ali bin Samikh, Qatar's Minister of Labour, and representatives from the United Nations and the United States.
According to the sources, US and UN representatives shared the 15-point agenda for the third round of Doha meeting with the Taliban representatives, and Hibatullah's envoy shared the Taliban's nine conditions with the US and UN representatives.
Topics for Third Round of Doha Meeting
According to the sources, the agenda for the third round of Doha talks includes the following 15 points:
1. Reviewing the human rights situation in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.
2. Comprehensive discussion on the Taliban's stance towards women, girls, and the media.
3. Discussing the appointment of a special representative for Afghanistan.
4. Assessing the demands of exiled politicians, Afghan women, and civil society representatives.
5. Challenges facing the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
6. Evaluating the status of freedom of expression in Afghanistan under Taliban control
7. Report from the UN Security Council's special representative on security threats from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to the region and the world
8. Discussion on decreasing job opportunities and increasing economic problems
9. Perspectives of the international community, including the US and regional countries, on Taliban rule in Afghanistan
10. Discussion on forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan
11. Assessing the fight against ISIS and drug trafficking in Afghanistan
12. Discussing the impacts of climate change on Afghanistan and strategies to combat it
13. Discussing challenges facing the private sector
14. Discussing challenges in Afghanistan's financial and banking system and seeking solutions
15. Comprehensive discussion on providing alternative crops to opium for Afghan farmers
Taliban's Conditions
According to the sources, the Taliban delegation led by Abdul Manan Omari presented the following nine conditions for their participation in the third round of Doha meeting during their coordination meeting with UN and US representatives in Qatar:
1. No appointment of a UN special representative for Afghanistan
2. Granting Taliban the Afghanistan seat at the United Nations
3. Lifting restrictions imposed on Taliban ministers and leaders by the US and UN
4. Allowing UN agencies to operate in Afghanistan in accordance with Taliban demands
5. Requesting the UN Security Council to stop issuing anti-Taliban statements
6. Ending statements and meetings with Afghans abroad regarding the ban on women and girls' education and work
7. Preventing unnecessary actions and pressure from the US and UN against the Taliban
8. Serious attention from the US, the international community, and the UN to humanitarian aid and climate change in Afghanistan and providing unconditional and continuous humanitarian aid
9. Cooperation from the UN in education and higher education should not be one-sided and solely focused on modern education.
Sources within the Taliban told Afghanistan International that Taliban representatives at this meeting stated that a Taliban delegation is ready to participate in the third round of Doha talks, but the final decision on participation depends on the group leader’s approval.
According to the sources, the Taliban delegation that may participate in the third round of Doha talks, if agreed, includes Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban's Foreign Minister; Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Din Mohammad Hanif, Minister of Higher Education; Abdul Manan Omari, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs and special envoy of Mullah Hibatullah, Mohammad Naeem Wardak, Taliban ambassador in Qatar; and Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's nominee for Afghanistan's UN representation.
The third round of Doha talks is scheduled to be hosted by the United Nations in Doha, Qatar, on June 30 and July 1.
