Afghanistan Peace Campaign
Reports from the venue of the third Doha meeting in Qatar indicate that Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN body for Afghanistan, Thomas Nicholson, and Asif Durrani, special representatives of the European Union and Pakistan, arrived in Doha today, Saturday, June 29th.
The third Doha meeting will be hosted by Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Deputy Secretary-General, in the Qatari capital on Monday and Tuesday, June 30th and July 1st.
Ms. DiCarlo has not yet arrived in Doha, but a UN spokesperson confirmed her travel to Qatar.
The presence of Roza Otunbayeva Mark Poots, the head and deputy political head of UNAMA, respectively, at the venue of the Doha meeting, has been confirmed, along with special envoys from the European Union and Pakistan arriving for Afghanistan.
Representatives from over 20 countries and delegates from several international organizations are participating in the second session of Doha, and a delegation from the Taliban will also be present at this conference.
Civil society and women representatives of Afghanistan, who have been key players in other international conferences on Afghanistan, have not been invited to the third Doha meeting, sparking widespread domestic and international criticism.
According to the UN rapporteur and other international observers, critics argue that excluding women and civil society from the Doha talks will come at a high cost.