On June 29 and 30, Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West led another senior interagency delegation including representatives from the State Department, the Treasury Department, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue talks with senior Taliban representatives and technocratic professionals in Doha, Qatar.
The United States expressed its condolences for the loss of life and suffering in Afghanistan caused by the recent earthquakes and highlighted strong US support, including $55 million in new assistance from USAID to deliver vital shelter, sanitation and hygiene supplies to the affected population, and to support ongoing crisis throughout the country. The two teams discussed the international community’s humanitarian support to Afghanistan, including more than $774 million provided by the United States since August 2021. In this regard, the United States expressed concern about the Taliban’s increased interference in the delivery of humanitarian aid. Both sides agreed on the critical importance of maintaining uninterrupted access to basic healthcare across the country, while addressing concerns about transparency in service delivery. Regarding economic stabilization, the United States welcomed the recent payment of arrears to international financial institutions and discussed US support for steps to increase the availability of Afghan currency in the economy. The two sides discussed in detail US actions to preserve $3.5 billion in Afghanistan’s central bank reserves for the benefit of the Afghan people, as well as steps to build international confidence in the central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank.
The Taliban’s ongoing and increasing restrictions on the rights of Afghan women and girls have been a central focus of US officials’ engagement with the Taliban. The United States supports the demands of the Afghan people to allow girls to return to school and to allow women to work, contribute to the country’s economic growth, and to move and express themselves freely, guidelines that Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri leads in coordination with his interagency colleagues. Special Representative West made clear the critical link between progress in protecting the rights of Afghans and steps toward normalizing US ties with the Taliban.
The two sides expressed interest in additional exchanges related to the fight against narcotics and disaster preparedness.
The Taliban reiterated their promise not to allow anyone to use Afghanistan’s territory to threaten any country. US officials have expressed concern about the continued presence of al-Qaeda, ISIS-K and other terrorist organizations in Afghanistan.
