Rosemary DiCarlo, the United Nations under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs, met Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, in Kabul, according to a Taliban statement.
The Taliban Interior Ministry said early Sunday that the meeting focused on engagement between the Taliban and the international community, cooperation in counter-narcotics efforts, economic stability, easing restrictions on the private sector and the effectiveness of UN humanitarian assistance.
Haqqani told DiCarlo that efforts to combat drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan had produced positive results, the statement said.
The ministry said DiCarlo assured Haqqani that the United Nations would continue its humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan. The UN delegation, led by DiCarlo, also stressed the need for “continued engagement”, according to the statement.
Quoting the UN official, the ministry said that as part of the third phase of the UN-led Doha process, working groups have been formed and are expected to hold their next meeting in Kabul.
DiCarlo arrived in Kabul on Saturday and also held talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on the Doha process.
The US diplomat has served as UN under-secretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs since 2018.
The UN-led Doha process was launched to create a political framework and dialogue among the international community, regional countries and the Taliban to address Afghanistan’s political, security and humanitarian crises. Three rounds of talks have been held so far, with the most recent led by DiCarlo. Taliban representatives took part in the latest meeting.
