The United States announced Friday to cancel talks in Doha, Qatar, with the Taliban, because of their decision to ban Afghan girls from attending secondary school.
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“We have canceled some of our commitments, including scheduled meetings in Doha on the occasion of the Doha Forum, and have made it clear that we see this decision as a potential turning point in our engagement,” said a spokesperson for the US State Department.
The Doha Forum takes place on Saturday and Sunday in the capital of Qatar.
The Taliban, in power in Afghanistan since August 2021, reversed their decision on Wednesday to allow girls to study in middle and high schools, just hours after the long-announced reopening and without providing an explanation. clear, while many students were in class.
“This decision by the Taliban, if not quickly reversed, will profoundly harm the Afghan people, the country’s economic growth prospects and the Taliban’s ambition to improve its relations with the international community,” the spokesperson added. -word.
“In the interests of the future of Afghanistan and of relations between the Taliban and the international community, we urge the Taliban to honor their commitments to their people,” he continued.
The United States stands “with the Afghan girls and their families, who see education as a means to realize the full potential of the Afghan society and economy,” he said.
The day before, six Western countries, including the United States, as well as the European Union had called in a joint declaration on the Islamic fundamentalists to “urgently reverse” their decision to ban secondary schools for girls.
France, Italy, Norway, the United States, Canada and Great Britain, as well as the High Representative of the EU, warned Thursday that this choice would have “consequences far beyond its prejudice for Afghan girls”, and could undermine Afghanistan’s ambition “to become a respected member of the community of nations”.
Since taking power, the Taliban have severely restricted women’s rights to education and work.