UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives an address after a closed-door summit on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar. AP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives an address after a closed-door summit on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar. AP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives an address after a closed-door summit on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar. AP
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives an address after a closed-door summit on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar. AP

Taliban warn UN over exclusion from Afghanistan talks


Adla Massoud
  • English
  • Arabic

The Taliban warned on Tuesday that UN-led closed-door talks on Afghanistan in Qatar could be “counterproductive”, after they were excluded from the event.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres began the second day of meetings with special envoys from 25 countries for a “frank and constructive” exchange of views on Afghanistan.

The Taliban were not invited.

“Any meeting without the participation of IEA [Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] representatives — the main party to the issue — is unproductive and even sometimes counterproductive,” said Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban political office in Doha.

“How can a decision taken at such meetings be acceptable or implemented while we are not part of the process? It is discriminatory and unjustified.”

Mr Guterres told reporters that the meeting was about developing a common international approach, “not about recognition of the de facto Taliban authorities”.

He did not rule out any future meetings with the Taliban but said “today is not the right moment to do so”.

Concerns over the country's stability were growing and participants had agreed on the need for a strategy of engagement that allows for the stabilisation of Afghanistan, he said.

“To achieve our objectives, we cannot disengage,” Mr Guterres said.

Threatening or further isolating the Taliban is not a pragmatic approach for countries seeking to alleviate Afghanistan's humanitarian crisis or to ease restrictions on women and girls, said Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who attended the meeting.

Daniel Forti, senior analyst with the Crisis Group, told The National that the Doha meeting has “managed to offend not only the Taliban, which is angry that it is excluded, but also Afghan civilians inside and outside the country, who think their views are being ignored by the UN”.

UN officials and Security Council members have agreed that it is better for elements of the world body to stay in the country than for them to leave, said Mr Forti.

“One important outcome from Doha would be if everyone communicates this to the Taliban in no uncertain terms,” he said.

Mr Guterres confirmed the UN would stay in Afghanistan to deliver humanitarian aid, but warned of a severe shortfall in financial pledges for the humanitarian appeal this year.

“Throughout the past decades, we stayed and we delivered. And we are determined to seek the necessary conditions to keep delivering,” he said.

The appeal is a little more than 6 per cent funded, falling short of the $4.6 billion requested for a country in which 97 per cent of the population lives in poverty.

“Two thirds of the population — 28 million — will need humanitarian assistance this year to survive. Six million Afghan children, women and men are one step away from famine-like conditions,” he said.

UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Tuesday that the people of Afghanistan “cannot afford to not have the full support of the international community”.

“We have to find a way where despite all of the many concerns about the de facto authorities, we make sure that the people of Afghanistan do not suffer as a result of what's happened over the past few years,” he said.

Women describe their experiences since the Taliban took over — in pictures

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

W.
Wael Kfoury
(Rotana)

Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo 

 Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua

 Based: Dubai, UAE

 Number of employees: 28

 Sector: Financial services

 Investment: $9.5m

 Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 

 
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THREE
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SQUAD

Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammed Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Saeed Ahmed, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Muhammed Jumah, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri

The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

Saturday (UAE kick-off times)

Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)

Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)

West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)

Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)

Sunday

Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)

Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)

Everton v Liverpool (10pm)

Monday

Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)

The details

Colette

Director: Wash Westmoreland

Starring: Keira Knightley, Dominic West

Our take: 3/5

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

Updated: May 02, 2023, 11:17 PM`