UN Establishes First Doha Process Working Group

Addressing the British Parliament, Makhmalbaf said that Afghanistan International provides information to Afghanistan 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Iranian director and writer, who is also well-known in Afghanistan, said on Wednesday in the British Parliament's Culture, Media and Sports Committee, referring to democracy and freedom of expression during the republican era, "Afghanistan had 97 TV channels, more than here (London). Those two decades were the height of freedom of expression. It was the height of democracy. Despite the violence, freedom of expression was better than in the entire Middle East."

Speaking at the committee to ask Britain for help to evacuate artists from Afghanistan, Makhmalbaf said, "Therefore, I say that saving these artists is not saving people, it is the fruit of two decades of democracy. It is the salvation of Afghanistan's cultural heritage. When they come here, the voices of the people of Afghanistan will become voiceless."

The well-known Iranian filmmaker pointed to the role of Afghanistan International, and BBC Persian, saying, "Afghanistan International is a new TV channel headquartered in London. Most of the educators and artists cooperate with this network. It produces news for Afghanistan 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

These TV channels are set up by Afghans who have fled Afghanistan, he said, and added that "we need more channels and more voices".
According to Makhmalbaf, Afghan artists and intellectuals use these networks to spread information about what is happening in Afghanistan and educate people the values of democracy and freedom.

Addressing members of the British Parliament's Culture and Media Committee, he said, "Imagine that today, Afghan children are under the Taliban's special education system. We will have many terrorists in the next generation. The Taliban produce terrorists."

Makhmalbaf added, "If you want to have open-minded people in Afghanistan, you need a partner here, we do not have expertise in the field of Afghanistan. When artists come from Afghanistan, they can educate their people through social media and TV channels."

Mohsen Makhmalbaf is a well-known Iranian director whose film "The Journey to Kandahar" won many awards. Time magazine named the film one of the 100 best films in the history of world cinema in 2005.

British producer and writer Jimmy Mulville also told a meeting of the British Parliament's Culture and Media Committee that those moving to the UK did not need to find work or housing. "They want not to be killed, (when) they come here, they can work, they can produce content through Afghanistan International TV, BBC Persian and other channels," he added.

Referring to the Taliban's media restrictions in Afghanistan, the British writer said that young people in Afghanistan "see their cultural values through these networks, even though from 4,000 miles away, there is freedom of expression that they (youth) do not have”.

Makhmalbaf told a meeting of the British Parliament's Culture and Media Committee that at least seven artists have been killed in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Makhmalbaf said that the lives of hundreds of other artists are also at risk.

The Iranian director and writer said that he and his friends compiled a list of 800 artists and filmmakers whose lives were in danger in Afghanistan two months before the fall of Kabul in August 2021.

Makhmalbaf said that his campaign has so far relocated 398 Afghan artists and their families to France, Germany and the United States, but there are still 283 others, including 90 artists, with families in Afghanistan. The Iranian filmmaker, who attended the meeting with his daughter and son, Hanna and Maysam, said, "At least 301 artists and their families have been transferred to France. Germany has transferred 80 of them and another 70 have been transferred to the United States."

Makhmalbaf pointed to the dangers that threaten those left behind in Afghanistan, saying that those who managed to reach Iran and Pakistan have recently been deported by the Islamic Republic. He called on members of Britain's Culture, Media and Sports Committee to help those who remain in Afghanistan and save their lives as soon as possible.

Informed sources told Afghanistan International that the meeting was attended by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai and some political figures.

In the historic Bonn Conference Hall in the Petersburg Hotel in 2001, the basis for the formation of a new government, an emergency Loya Jirga, the holding of presidential elections, the drafting of the constitution, the formation of a parliament, and the participation of women and ethnic groups in the structure of the system were laid.

A source told Afghanistan International that the meeting, titled "Afghanistan at the Crossroads: 23 Years After the Bonn Conference", was organised by the Academy of International Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.

According to the source, in addition to Hamid Karzai, former Afghan foreign ministers Zalmai Rassoul and Rangin Dadfar Spanta; former Afghan ambassador to Germany Hamid Sidig and former Afghan consul general in Germany Sayed Lutfullah Sadat were present at the meeting.

The mayor of Bonn and a number of Afghans living in Germany also participated in the meeting.

In his speech, former President Karzai called the absence of representatives of all political groups at the Bonn conference a "historic mistake" that he said has hindered the realisation of the aspirations of the Afghan people.

Hamid Karzai is referring to the absence of the Taliban at the Bonn conference. He is one of those politicians who believe that if the Taliban had attended the meeting, the 20-year war and the group's resurgence would probably have been prevented.

Karzai went on to emphasise the historical and good relations between Afghanistan and Germany and said that Germany can once again host intra-Afghan talks.

He also reiterated the importance of a national dialogue among Afghans and said that the Afghan people should take the initiative for dialogue and reconciliation.

President Karzai said that during his presidency, he called the Taliban brothers, and now he considers the opponents of the Taliban brothers.

The Taliban's Ministry of Defence wrote in a statement that Nizamani emphasised on the expansion of joint cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations during the meeting.

Mullah Yaqoob also called the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan "stable" and said that the Taliban’s administration is ready to cooperate with Islamabad in the economic field, trade sector and other fields.

The meeting took place on Wednesday, November 27.

Pakistani officials and the Pakistani embassy in Kabul have not yet provided details about the meeting.

The meeting took place after clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards in Khost. At the same time, due to the increase in insecurity in Pakistan, relations between the Taliban and Islamabad have become strained.

Pakistan has accused the Taliban of harboring TTP militants and that the group is carrying out attacks in Pakistan from inside Afghanistan. The Pakistani army has called on the Taliban to fulfil its commitments and ensure the security of Afghanistan's borders.

"It is expected that the interim government of Afghanistan will not allow the territory of this country to be used by the TTP to carry out terrorist acts against Pakistan," the Pakistani military statement said.

Pakistan claims that the Afghan Taliban supports members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and that Afghan soil is being used to carry out terrorist acts against the country.

He said that Russia wants a lasting peace in Afghanistan and that Moscow is ready to help the reconciliation process among Afghans.

Sergei Shoigu, who was previously Russia's defence minister, headed a high-level delegation to Kabul on Monday and met separately with Taliban officials, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, deputy prime minister for political affairs, Mullah Yaqoob, defence minister, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister.

According to Russian news agencies, Shoigu said in a meeting with Taliban officials, "We confirm our readiness to establish a constructive political dialogue between our countries, including the reconciliation process among Afghans."

The intra-Afghan dialogue is part of the Doha agreement signed between the Taliban and the United States. However, the Taliban refused to talk to the negotiating team of the former government. With the withdrawal of international forces led by the United States from Afghanistan, the Afghan government collapsed and the Taliban seized power in the country.

Over the past three years, political movements opposed to the Taliban have repeatedly emphasised on dialogue and negotiations with the Taliban, but the Taliban has rejected such talks.

Feridun Sinirlioğlu, the UN Special Coordinator for Afghanistan, presented his assessment of the situation in Afghanistan to the UN Security Council last year. The report proposed a roadmap for engagement with the Taliban, and the start of a political process for the participation of Afghan political forces was part of the proposal. He had said that this process could lead to the normalisation of relations between governments and the Taliban government.

The Taliban has opposed "intra-Afghan dialogue" and the return of former government figures.
Taliban officials have said that they discussed economic cooperation and the expansion of relations with the Russian delegation. The Taliban has made no mention of the delegation's request for intra-Afghan reconciliation.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's deputy prime minister for economic affairs, told Shoigu that the Taliban administration needs Moscow's help to ease the burden of Western sanctions.

According to Russian media, Abdul Ghani Baradar said, "We have tried to create conditions for the growth of Afghanistan's exports and the growth of foreign investment."

The Taliban official said that the United States and the West have increased the pressure on the Taliban after the Taliban came to power by freezing Afghanistan's assets and imposing a travel ban on the group's leaders.
"Therefore, we are waiting for the Russian Federation to help us neutralise this pressure," Baradar added.

Regarding the possibility of temporarily removing the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist groups, Ushakov said that this issue is "only a matter of words, for now”.

Russian media reported on Tuesday that a bill to "temporarily remove" the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist groups has been submitted to the country's parliament.

Regarding the possibility of temporarily removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups, Yuri Ushakov said, "There are certain reasons for cooperating with the Taliban, but so far this is just talk."

According to the bill submitted to the Russian parliament, "the activities of certain organisations prohibited by Russian law can be suspended for a limited period of time at the request of the prosecutor general or his deputy and by a court order”.

After Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Kabul and met with Taliban officials, the group claimed that the process of removing the Taliban from Russia's list of terrorist groups has reached the final stages.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has also announced that Moscow has not yet made a decision on removing the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups.

Peskov said that after Russia's decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist groups, details will be announced.

A high-level Russian delegation led by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk visited Kabul on Monday and met with Taliban officials.

Speaking about Russia's relationship with the Taliban, Vladimir Putin had said, "We take into account the views of each of our partners and friends and will coordinate on this issue."