Kabul: The Taliban stated on Tuesday that the UN-led meeting on Afghanistan in Qatar would be difficult to conduct without their participation.

On Monday, representatives from the US, China, Saudi Arabia, and other nations gathered in Doha for two days of Afghanistan-related discussions that were hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The UN stated that the meeting's goal is to "achieve a common understanding within the international community on how to engage with the Taliban" on a number of issues, including women's and girls' rights.

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"Now that there is no longer a representative of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to present their views and to present the position of Afghanistan, so it will be difficult to present Afghanistan's position," Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's designate ambassador to the UN, said in an interview.

He continued by stating that the meeting's "shortcoming" was the Taliban's absence. To find a real solution to the problems, a delegation from the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan should be invited, he said.

"But in such cases where our delegation is not present, it will not resolve the problem; rather, it will widen the chasm between the two sides," the statement continued.

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According to the Taliban's deputy spokesman Bilal Karimi, the US "puts pressure" on nations and prevents them from "formal and open engagement" with the Afghan government. He added that the Taliban were open to "positive interactions" with the international community.

Since assuming power in Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban government has imposed a growing number of restrictions on women, including prohibiting them from working for the UN and reducing the opportunities for girls to attend school.

The Taliban had previously claimed that the prohibition against Afghan women working for the UN was a "internal issue" that wouldn't interfere with the work of the international body. In the face of widespread criticism and requests to change its decisions, the UN said it had to make a "appalling choice" about whether to continue its mission in the nation.

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As a result of the ban on Afghan women workers, which is anticipated to last until May 5, the UN began a review of its operations in Afghanistan last month