Doha - New York: Europe and the Arabs
The Secretary-General of the United Nations participated in a meeting held in the Qatari capital, Doha, of special envoys concerned with Afghanistan. He stressed after the meeting that “the main international players want to see Afghanistan at peace with itself and with its neighbours” and to be able to bear “the international pledges and obligations entrusted to a sovereign state” towards the international community, the region and the rights of its people. According to what was reported in the daily UN news bulletin that we received A copy of it was issued on Tuesday morning
This came in a press conference yesterday, Monday, held by Secretary-General António Guterres in Doha after the meeting, which was boycotted by the de facto authorities in Afghanistan (the Taliban).
The Secretary-General said that the meeting witnessed consensus on this goal and on the proposals of the independent evaluation conducted by Special Coordinator Feridun Sinirlioglu on an integrated and coherent approach to dealing with the Taliban and the challenges in Afghanistan, which was adopted in Security Council Resolution No. 2721.
He said the assessment includes all major areas of concern for both the international community and the de facto authorities in Afghanistan, including that Afghanistan not be a “hotbed of terrorist activities,” that it have institutions that are inclusive of its ethnic groups, and that it respects human rights, especially the rights of women and girls, while recognizing Also highlighting the progress made in combating drug trafficking and cultivation, the need for more effective humanitarian aid and discussing the country's long-term development.

"The chicken and the egg"
Mr. Guterres noted that continued cooperation between Afghanistan and neighboring countries in several areas, such as trade, infrastructure development and combating illicit drugs, is positive and welcome, but he acknowledged that there is a basic set of outstanding issues.
He explained that, on the one hand, Afghanistan remains without an internationally recognized government, and is not integrated in many aspects into global institutions and the global economy, and on the other hand, the international community does not see an improvement in terms of inclusiveness in the country, and in fact, the conditions for the rights of women and girls have deteriorated.
“To some extent, we are in a chicken-and-egg situation,” he said, stressing the need to overcome the stalemate and find a joint road map that addresses international concerns and the concerns of the de facto authorities at the same time. He stressed the need for better coordination, and in this regard, the decision was taken to start a serious consultation process to find out whether the conditions exist for the appointment of a UN envoy - as requested by Resolution 2721 - capable of working effectively with everyone, including the de facto authorities in Afghanistan.

Message to Afghan women
In response to a question from journalists about his message to Afghan women and girls in light of the restrictions imposed on them, the Secretary-General sent a message of deep solidarity with them and said:
“I have three granddaughters. I cannot imagine my granddaughters not being able to attend high school or going to university, or not having the opportunity to participate fully in the economy and society of my country. I would like all granddaughters and daughters in Afghanistan to have the same rights that I hope my granddaughters will enjoy.” In my country".

Unacceptable preconditions
In response to questions about the Taliban's absence from the meeting, Mr. Guterres said he had received a letter from the de facto authorities containing a set of "unacceptable" conditions. He added: "These conditions, in the first place, deprive us of the right to speak with other representatives of Afghan society and demanded treatment, in my opinion, very similar to recognition."
He said that although the de facto authorities were not present, the meeting was very useful and the discussion that took place was needed. He said: “Obviously it would have been better if we had also had the opportunity, after the meeting we held yesterday evening and this morning, to discuss our conclusions with the de facto authorities. That did not happen today. It will happen in the near future.”