US Officials Meet With Taliban Representatives – The Diplomat

On July 30-31, a U.S. delegation, led by U.S. Particular Consultant for Afghanistan Thomas West, met with Taliban representatives and “technocratic professionals” in Doha, Qatar. 

Shut watchers of Afghanistan famous the assembly, which seems to be the primary official talks between the US and the Taliban since August 2021.

Jonathan Schroden of the CNA Company remarked on Twitter (X): “The truth that the (seemingly) most substantive talks between the US & the #Taliban because the signing of the Doha deal in 2020 didn’t even register as a information merchandise right here makes clear the place #Afghanistan stands on the US checklist of priorities nowadays.”

The U.S. State Division’s July 31 media notice on the assembly offered some particulars of the dialogue; what was not noted is telling too. 

As an illustration: Who attended these conferences?

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West was joined in Doha by U.S. Particular Envoy for Afghan Girls, Women, and Human Rights Rina Amiri and the chief of the U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, Karen Decker (the mission is presently nonetheless based mostly in Doha). Presumably, different workers attended as nicely, however the U.S. readout highlights these three. 

The composition of the Afghan delegation was not laid out with the identical stage of element within the U.S. readout, with solely “representatives of the Afghan Central Financial institution and Afghan Ministry of Finance” talked about.

The Taliban delegation was led, nevertheless, by Overseas Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi — a element confirmed by Taliban Ministry of Overseas Affairs spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi on Twitter. The Taliban delegation included the above-mentioned representatives of the Afghan central financial institution (Da Afghanistan Financial institution – AB) and the Ministry of Finance, in addition to “officers from the Afghan Embassy & Political Workplace in Qatar.” Balkhi, in his tweet, stated the Taliban delegation had met with “met with the US SR for Afghanistan Tom West & accompanying senior fifteen-member delegation from varied departments.”

Now we’ve got an concept of who attended the assembly, what did the 2 sides focus on?

Again to the U.S. readout: It begins with a point out of “areas for confidence constructing in help of the Afghan individuals” in addition to an expression of “deep concern” concerning the humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan and the “must proceed to help help organizations and UN our bodies delivering help in step with humanitarian ideas.” That is adopted by a paragraph centered on U.S. urging the Taliban to “reverse insurance policies accountable for the deteriorating human rights state of affairs in Afghanistan, notably for girls, ladies, and susceptible communities” in addition to elevating problems with “detentions, media crackdowns, and limits on non secular follow.”

The readout then mentions discussions concerning the “state of the Afghan financial system and the challenges that the banking sector faces” with the above-noted finance and banking officers; adopted by a necessary point out of “the Taliban’s persevering with dedication to not permit the territory of Afghanistan for use by anybody to threaten the US and its allies…”

The U.S. readout closes with a noting of the Taliban poppy crackdown, however issues about “processed opiates and artificial medicine” and a positioning of counternarcotics as an avenue for continued dialogue.

On the opposite facet, on Twitter Balkhi threaded what we are able to paste collectively and take because the Taliban’s readout of the assembly: 

Within the assembly, the 2 sides mentioned confidence constructing, taking sensible steps thereof, eradicating blacklists & lifting sanctions, unfreezing DAB reserves, financial stability of Afghanistan, countering narcotics… and points on human rights.

[The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan] reiterated that it was essential for confidence constructing that blacklists & reward lists be eliminated, & financial institution reserves be unfrozen in order that Afghans can set up an financial system unreliant [sic] international help.

Additionally, humanitarian help, freedom of journey, & Afghans’ entry to consular providers all over the world had been amongst significance points of debate.

Removing of a lot of the restrictions on Afghan banks resulting in simple transactions was thought-about a constructive improvement.

Either side emphasised the continuation of such conferences, understanding, & interactions.

The Taliban model leaves out the particular point out of girls’s rights, a difficulty is prominently positioned within the U.S. readout. As an alternative, the Taliban spotlight financial aspects, alongside specifics on what the Taliban see as “confidence constructing” measures: elimination of Taliban members from blacklists and “reward lists.” For instance, the Taliban’s inside minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is presently on the FBI’s Most Wished Terrorists checklist with a reward of “as much as $10 million” for data resulting in his arrest.

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It’s no shock that the US and the Taliban are on completely different pages, however it’s necessary nonetheless that there’s dialogue between the 2 sides. For the Taliban, it’s clear their fundamental curiosity is monetary — Afghanistan’s financial system is in a tremendously poor state, and Kabul desires entry to the previous Afghan Republic’s central financial institution funds, amounting to $7 billion in whole frozen by the Federal Reserve Financial institution of New York in August 2021.

However in late July, Reuters reported {that a} “U.S.-funded audit of Afghanistan’s Taliban-run central financial institution has did not win Washington’s backing for a return of financial institution property from a $3.5 billion Swiss-based belief fund.” The belief fund was established final 12 months with half of the frozen $7 billion, with the intent of finally seeing the funds return to Afghanistan. However, as a U.S. Treasury official instructed Reuters, first the Afghan central financial institution should present that it’s free “from political affect and interference,” in addition to show that it has “satisfactory” controls in opposition to money-laundering and terrorism financing.

Treasury officers additionally need to see DAB set up a “respected” unbiased monitor. It’s a tall order. As an official instructed Reuters, “Our evaluation of DAB stays unchanged.”

Its’s not clear from the U.S. readout, or the Taliban statements, if there have been U.S. Treasury officers within the assembly — however that’s who the Taliban most likely actually need to speak to.