UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the Taliban had set unacceptable conditions for attending a UN-sponsored conference on Afghanistan in Qatar's capital Doha.
“I received a letter [from the Taliban] The set of conditions for attending this meeting was unacceptable,” Guterres said at a press conference on Monday.
“These circumstances denied us the right to speak with other representatives of Afghan society and demanded recognition and similar treatment in large part,” the UN chief added.
The two-day meeting, which concluded in Doha on Monday, brought together member states and international envoys to Afghanistan to discuss a range of issues facing the country. However, the Taliban did not attend because their demands were not met.
The Taliban captured Kabul in August 2021 after US and NATO forces withdrew after two decades of war.
However, no country recognizes this as the Afghan government, and the United Nations says recognition will be nearly impossible as long as the ban on women's education and employment remains in place.
The biggest point of contention between the international community and the Taliban is the ban imposed on women and girls.
Since taking power, he has ordered women to cover up when leaving their homes, stopped girls and women from attending high schools and universities, and banned them from parks, gyms and public baths.
The Taliban insists the ban is an internal matter and rejects criticism that it amounts to outside interference.
Guterres said it was essential that the restrictions be lifted.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's chief spokesman, dismissed concerns in January, saying it was unfair for the United Nations to be concerned about Afghan women.
“Afghan women wear hijab of their own free will,” he said in X. “There is no need to be forced. The Ministry of Virtue is not forcing anyone. [to wear hijab] which one. “
Another point of contention is the appointment of a UN special envoy in the country, which the Taliban opposes.
Guterres said on Monday that “clear consultations” were needed with the Taliban to clarify the role of the envoy and to make it “attractive” from the Taliban's perspective.
He said it was in the Taliban's interest to participate in the talks.
Many governments, international organizations and aid agencies have cut or sharply reduced funding to Afghanistan in response to the Taliban's policies, severely damaging the country's struggling economy.
“One of our main objectives is to break this impasse,” Guterres said, calling for a roadmap that takes into account “the concerns of the international community” and the concerns of “the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.” I explained that I needed to create one. .
Lotullah Najafizada, CEO of international media AmTV, told Al Jazeera that the Taliban had made a strategic mistake by not attending the talks.
“I think it's very important for the Taliban to understand the current state of the world. At the moment, the world is planning to proceed without the Taliban, but that's not what they expected.” Ta.
“I think it's very important that the international community come to a consensus and use one voice to deal with the Taliban.”
The Doha meeting also aimed at a more coordinated response to address Afghanistan's problems.
Secretary-General Guterres said there had been discussions about a “contact group” with “a limited number of countries that could take a more coordinated approach in engaging with de facto authorities.”
He said this could include permanent members of the UN Security Council, neighboring countries and relevant donors, but “it is up to member states to decide how to create it.”
“We believe that would be a way to bring consistency to the way the international community works with the de facto authorities in Afghanistan,” he said.
