The cancellation of the talks was the first concrete sign that the Taliban’s recent moves on human rights and accession could directly affect the international community’s willingness to help the group, some of whose leaders are under US sanctions. “Their decision was a deeply disappointing and inexplicable reversal of commitments to the Afghan people, first and foremost, but also to the international community,” a State Department spokesman told Reuters. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “We have canceled some of our commitments, including the scheduled meetings in Doha, and we have made it clear that we see this decision as a possible turning point in our commitment.” Three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the series of meetings between US and Taliban officials was to take place on the sidelines of a conference in the Qatari capital on Saturday and Sunday. Some of the meetings would include representatives of the United Nations and the World Bank, the sources added. A spokesman for the Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed that a Taliban delegation, including the acting foreign minister, was waiting to travel to Doha. The talks were designed to cover issues such as the independence of the Afghan central bank and the printing of Afghan currency banknotes. Also discussed was a humanitarian exchange facility for the release of cash and hundreds of millions of dollars of funding currently under way at a World Bank Trust for Afghanistan’s education, according to the three sources. They refused to be named because they did not have the authority to speak to the media. “The Qatari plane bound for Mutaki’s delegation in Kabul did not show up,” said a diplomatic source, referring to Deputy Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaki. The Qatari government’s communications office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ‘TRAGIC’ CONSEQUENCES An Afghan schoolgirl reads from her book inside a house in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 23, 2022. REUTERS / Charlotte Greenfield The move shows the opposing winds facing the Taliban administration over access to foreign aid and the liberalization of the banking sector. Hard currency shortages have fueled inflation and exacerbated the financial crisis. The Taliban have also been unable to access the multibillion-dollar foreign exchange reserves held abroad as governments, including the United States, refuse to fully recognize them. In addition to the corrupt financial system, the sharp drop in billion-dollar development funding that once helped the Afghan government function has exacerbated food shortages and poverty. About 23 million people experience acute hunger and 95% of the population does not eat enough, according to the United Nations. Washington and its allies have insisted that the Taliban, who have banned girls from school and most women from working since the last government took office, improve their human rights record. The Taliban, which has fought an insurgency that toppled a Western-backed government last August, has also been accused of cracking down on freedom of speech, violently dispersing protests and seeking revenge against its former enemies. The group says it will respect the rights of all in its interpretation of Islamic law and is committed to investigating specific allegations of abuse. The Taliban on Wednesday withdrew from their previous commitment to open high schools to girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan was drawn up to reopen them. The reversal shocked many, leaving students crying and sparking small protests by girls in Kabul. It has also provoked condemnation from humanitarian agencies and foreign governments. read more “They are definitely shooting themselves in the leg,” said Graeme Smith, a senior fellow at the International Crisis Group, regarding the decision to educate the girls. A major humanitarian donor summit is set to take place this month, co-hosted by Britain, in a bid to raise $ 4.4 billion in funding that the United Nations says is needed to meet the country’s urgent needs. . Diplomats and aid workers fear that the war in Ukraine, coupled with the Taliban’s decision to go to school for girls, will make it harder for them to raise money. “The decision is understandable,” said John Sifton of Human Rights Watch about the move. “The United States and other donors must inform the Taliban that their actions are unacceptable.” “At the same time, the cancellation of this important meeting is tragic. … Afghanistan’s economy has collapsed and millions are facing acute malnutrition. People are dying of hunger every day.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by Andrew Mills in Doha and Humeyra Pamuk in Washington. Editing by Mike Collett-White Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
