Afghanistan: Antony Blinken expected in Qatar early next week

Published on : 09/03/2021 – 22:21

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Friday (September 3) that he would visit Qatar early next week, where US diplomats in charge of Afghanistan have retreated and where the main discussions of the community are taking place. international with the Taliban.

Antony Blinken did not say whether he would speak personally in Doha with representatives of the new Islamist masters in Kabul. However, he assured that the United States maintained “channels of communication” with the Taliban even after completing their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He will then travel to Germany, where he will organize, with his German counterpart Heiko Maas, a ministerial meeting of twenty countries devoted to Afghanistan.

US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin will also be in Doha earlier this week, as part of a Gulf tour that will also take him to Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon announced on Friday.

Washington wants an “inclusive” government in Afghanistan

Antony Blinken explained that he would express his “deep gratitude” to the leaders of Qatar, a key platform for the evacuation of foreigners from Afghanistan as well as of Afghans likely to suffer retaliation from the Taliban. The evacuation of Americans and Afghans “at risk” still there is Washington’s priority.

The United States is also demanding that the Taliban establish an “inclusive” government. “We hope that any government put in place will have real inclusiveness, that there will be non-Taliban in it, who are representative of the different communities and the different interests in Afghanistan,” said Antony Blinken, while this executive could be announced very soon.

But he added that the “acts” and “policies” of this future government would be “as important” as its composition.

With AFP