US cancels talks with Taliban in Doha after girls school closure

The United States said on Friday that it has cancelled plannedtalksin Doha with theTalibanafterthe hardline Islamist rulers of Afghanistan shutgirls' secondaryschools.

"We have cancelled some of our engagements, including planned meetings in Doha around the Doha Forum, and have made clear that we see this decision as a potential turning point in our engagement," State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said.

TheTaliban, which seized power in August and is eager for international recognition, shut downgirls' secondaryschoolsthis week just hoursafterreopening them.

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"This decision by theTaliban, if it is not swiftly reversed, will profoundly harm the Afghan people, the country's prospects for economic growth, and theTaliban's ambition to improve their relations with the international community," Porter told reporters.

"For the sake of Afghanistan's future and theTaliban's relations with the international community we urge theTalibanto live up to their commitments and to their people," she said.

"We also stand with Afghangirlsand their families, who see education as a path to realizing the full potential of Afghanistan's society and economy," she added.

TheTaliban's decision to keepschoolsshuttered forgirlscameaftera meeting late Tuesday by senior officials in the southern city of Kandahar, the movement's de facto power center and conservative spiritual heartland.

It followed months of work by the international community to address the issue of supporting teacher stipends, and came just as Afghangirlswere eagerly heading back toschoolfor the first time in seven months.

Major setback

When theTalibanreturned to power, they promised a softer rule compared with their first regime from 1996 to 2001, which became notorious for human rights abuses.

They claimed to respect women's rights, in line with their interpretation of Islamic sharia law, and saidgirlswould be allowed to study through to university.

But theTalibanhave imposed a slew of restrictions on women, effectively banning them from many government jobs, policing what they wear and preventing them from travelling outside of their cities alone.

In a joint statement Thursday the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Norway and the United States, plus the high representative of the European Union, said theTaliban's decision will harm the group's prospects for legitimacy.

The signatories to the statement notably included Norway, which hosted landmarktalksbetween theTalibanand several Western diplomats in January.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Wednesday that "the denial of education violates the human rights of women andgirls," leaving them "more exposed to violence, poverty and exploitation."

The head of the UN's educational organization UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, also criticized theTaliban's move, calling it a "major setback."

"Access to education is a fundamental right. UNESCO reiterates its call:girlsmust be allowed to return toschoolwithout further delay," she said.

Watch |US, allies call on Taliban to reopen girls' schools in war-torn Afghanistan