Qatar's ruler urges world leaders not to boycott Taliban

3 years ago 276

DUBAI – The ruling emir of Qatar, whose federation has played a pivotal relation successful Afghanistan successful the aftermath of the U.S. withdrawal, urged satellite leaders gathered astatine the United Nations connected Tuesday against turning their backs connected the country's Taliban rulers.

Speaking from the podium of the U.N. General Assembly, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani stressed “the necessity of continuing dialog with Taliban due to the fact that boycott lone leads to polarization and reactions, whereas dialog could bring successful affirmative results.”

His informing was directed astatine the galore heads of authorities disquieted astir engaging with the Taliban and recognizing their takeover of Afghanistan.

The Taliban accidental they privation planetary recognition. The radical challenged the credentials of Afghanistan’s erstwhile U.N. ambassador and are asking to talk astatine the U.N. General Assembly’s high-level gathering of satellite leaders. They accidental it is the work of the United Nations to admit their authorities and for different countries to person diplomatic relations with them.

Senior State Department officials said they were alert of the Taliban’s petition arsenic the U.S. is simply a subordinate of the U.N. credentials committee, but they would not foretell however that sheet mightiness rule. However, 1 of the officials said the committee “would instrumentality immoderate clip to deliberate,” suggesting that the Taliban’s envoy would not beryllium capable to talk astatine the General Assembly astatine this session, astatine slightest during the high-level leaders’ week.

To date, nary federation has yet formally recognized the Taliban’s ascension by unit to power oregon its all-male Cabinet, which is stacked with elder figures who were antecedently detained successful the U.S. detention installation successful Guantanamo Bay, Cuba oregon are connected a United Nations sanctions list. The radical has said this exclusively Taliban-run Cabinet is lone interim, offering anticipation that a aboriginal authorities could beryllium much inclusive.

In the tone of diplomacy, Sheikh Tamim said Qatar agreed years agone to big the Taliban's governmental enactment successful exile due to the fact that “we were assured that warfare offers nary solution and that determination would beryllium dialog successful the end.”

Qatar is simply a adjacent U.S state and hosts the largest U.S. subject basal successful the Middle East, but the tiny Gulf Arab authorities besides has immoderate sway with the Taliban. Because of its unsocial role, Qatar hosted nonstop U.S.-Taliban talks astir the American withdrawal from Afghanistan and helped facilitate evacuations from Kabul.

Now, countries similar the U.S. and Japan person relocated their diplomatic unit successful Afghanistan to Qatar to proceed diplomacy from there. Qatar is besides assisting with the facilitation of needed humanitarian assistance and with operations astatine Kabul airport.

Sheikh Tamim connected Tuesday urged against repeating past mistakes successful Afghanistan “to enforce a governmental strategy from outside.”

“Regardless of intentions, efforts made and wealth invested, this acquisition successful Afghanistan has collapsed aft 20 years,” Sheikh Tamim said.

The 41-year-old person said the planetary assemblage indispensable proceed to enactment Afghanistan astatine this captious signifier and “to abstracted humanitarian assistance from governmental differences.” Afghanistan is among the world’s poorest countries and receives billions of dollars successful overseas assistance a year, though that could alteration with the U.S.-backed authorities retired of powerfulness and the Taliban present successful charge.

Uzbekistan, different neighboring state to Afghanistan, has resumed the proviso of lipid and energy to the war-torn country, according to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

“It is intolerable to isolate Afghanistan and permission it wrong the scope of its problems,” helium said successful remarks astatine the U.N. connected Tuesday. He called for a imperishable U.N. Committee connected Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Pakistan’s overseas curate told reporters astatine U.N. headquarters that Taliban rulers should recognize that if they privation designation and assistance successful rebuilding the war-battered state “they person to beryllium much delicate and much receptive to planetary sentiment and norms.” The apical enactment of the Taliban for years has operated retired of Pakistan, which shares a borderline with Afghanistan and is location to ample numbers of Afghan refugees.

Despite their promises of an unfastened and inclusive system, determination person been numerous troubling signs that the Taliban are restricting women’s rights and targeting activists and those they battled against arsenic they settee into authorities aft taking power of the superior of Kabul past month. During their erstwhile regularisation of Afghanistan successful the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the close to acquisition and barred them from nationalist life.

Sheikh Tamim said it is up to the Afghan radical to execute a broad governmental colony and pave the mode for stability. He touted Qatar's outsized relation successful assisting with the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation of much than 100,000 Afghans and others from Kabul successful August.

“This was our humanitarian duty,” helium said.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee successful New York contributed to this report.

___

Dubai-based Associated Press writer Aya Batrawy covers the Gulf and wider Middle East. Follow her connected Twitter astatine http://twitter.com/ayaelb

Read Entire Article