DOHA
\nTaliban authorities said Monday they would press the international community over economic sanctions as they attended a UN-hosted summit in Doha with special representatives to Afghanistan for the first time.
\nThe two-day meeting began on Sunday and is the third such summit to be held in Qatar in a little over a year, but the first to include the Taliban authorities who seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.
\nWriting on X, formerly Twitter, senior foreign ministry official Zakir Jalaly said the Taliban government delegation would use Monday\u2019s meetings to address \u201cfinancial and banking sanctions\u201d and the \u201cchallenges\u201d these pose to Afghanistan\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n
Taliban govt officials begin meetings
\nHis statement followed an opening salvo late Sunday by the head of the Taliban delegation, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, as he addressed more than 20 envoys and UN officials.
\n\u201cAfghans are asking why they are being ganged up on, on the basis of unilateral and multilateral sanctions,\u201d Mujahid said as he questioned whether ongoing sanctions were \u201cfair practice\u201d after \u201cwars and insecurity for almost half a century as a result of foreign invasions and interference\u201d.
\nThe talks are being held to discuss increasing engagement with the impoverished country of more than 40 million and a more coordinated response, including economic issues and counter-narcotics efforts.
\nIn the aftermath of the Taliban\u2019s return to power, the international community has wrestled with its approach to Afghanistan\u2019s new rulers.
\nThe Taliban government in Kabul has not been officially recognised by any other government since it took power.
\nIt has imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, with women subjected to laws characterised by the UN as \u201cgender apartheid\u201d.
\nThe inclusion of a Taliban delegation but the exclusion of civil society and women\u2019s rights groups sparked outrage, with organisations accusing the UN and attendees of legitimising Taliban government policies.
\n\u201cCaving into the Taliban\u2019s conditions to secure their participation in the talks would risk legitimising their gender-based institutionalised system of oppression,\u201d Amnesty International chief Agnes Callamard said in a statement ahead of the talks.
\nThe Taliban authorities have repeatedly said the rights of all citizens are guaranteed under Islamic law.
\nMujahid said diplomats should \u201cfind ways of interaction and understanding rather than confrontation\u201d, despite \u201cnatural\u201d differences in policy.
\n\u201cThe Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is keen on engaging constructively with Western nations as well,\u201d Mujahid said.
\n\u201cLike any sovereign state, we uphold certain religious and cultural values and public aspirations that must be acknowledged.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
DOHA Taliban authorities said Monday they would press the international community over economic sanctions as they attended a UN-hosted summit in Doha with special representatives to Afghanistan for the first time. The two-day meeting began on Sunday and is the third such summit to be held in Qatar in a little over a year, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415873,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-415854","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n