The Taliban's government, led by Mullah Abdul Kabir, the Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs, has held a session to discuss their potential participation in the upcoming Doha meeting.
The United Nations has slated the third session of this meeting for June 30 and July 1.
According to a statement from the Taliban Prime Minister's office on Thursday, the discussion at the Sepidar Palace also covered the current situation in Afghanistan and the region, focusing on delivering humanitarian aid to those in need.
Previously, the UN had declared that the meeting would feature special representatives for Afghanistan, with the aim to "enhance structured and consistent international engagement with Afghanistan”.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Rosemary DiCarlo, extended an invitation to Taliban officials during her visit to Kabul.
Abdul Kabir emphasised that their participation hinges on the acceptance of the Taliban's positions. He assured DiCarlo that Afghanistan is completely under Taliban control, asserting that the country "has one emir and is obedient to him”.
The appointment of a UN special representative for Afghanistan will likely be a key discussion point at the meeting, which partly explains the Taliban's reluctance to participate previously. The Taliban have repeatedly argued that with UNAMA already present, there is no necessity for a new UN representative.
Furthermore, the Taliban had previously demanded to be the sole representative of Afghanistan at the last Doha meeting, a condition that the UN did not agree to, resulting in their absence.
