US DELEGATION TO MEET TALIBAN IN FIRST HIGH-LEVEL TALKS SINCE WITHDRAWAL

Sat 09 October 2021:

Two senior US officials told Reuters that a US delegation will meet with senior Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) representatives in Doha on Saturday and Sunday in their first face-to-face meeting at a senior level since Washington withdrew its forces from Afghanistan and the IEA took authority.

The high-level U.S. delegation will include officials from the State Department, USAID and the U.S. intelligence community. Officials said they will press the IEA to ensure continued safe passage for U.S. citizens and others out of Afghanistan and to release kidnapped U.S. citizen Mark Frerichs, the officials said.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who is based in Doha, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the talks will also revisit the peace agreement the Taliban signed with Washington in 2020. The agreement had paved the way for the final US withdrawal.

“Yes there is a meeting . . . about bilateral relations and implementation of the Doha agreement,” said Shaheen. “It covers various topics.”

Another top priority will be to hold the IEA to its commitment that it will not allow Afghanistan to again become a hotbed for al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups while pressing the group to improve access for humanitarian aid.

U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, who has for years spearheaded U.S. dialogue with the IEA and who has been a key figure in peace talks, will not be part of the delegation.

“This meeting is a continuation of the pragmatic engagements with the Taliban (IEA) that we’ve had ongoing on matters of vital national interest,” said a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

“This meeting is not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy. We remain clear that any legitimacy must be earned through the Taliban’s (IEA’s) own actions. They need to establish a sustained track record,” the U.S. official told Reuters.

Photo: Amir Khan Mottaqi, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, headed a high-level delegation to Doha. He and his accompanying delegation will meet with Qatari officials and a number of representatives from other countries to discuss the current political situation and relations with the countries.

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