KABUL: The Taliban on Saturday welcomed the one-year extension of the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman for the Taliban, said that Afghanistan needs to foster diplomatic relations with international organisations, especially the UN, and the international community, adding that UNAMA can contribute in this regard.
He said that the Afghan people want UNAMA to fulfil its representative mandate well, establish contact between Afghanistan and the world, reflect Afghanistan’s development, achievements, security and stability to the world, and help establish trust with countries having reservations. On Friday, the UN Security Council extended UNAMA’s mandate for another year. UNAMA, headquartered in the capital Kabul, has approximately 1,200 staff members.
Earlier, A UN conference held in Doha on Monday delivered a clear message to the Afghan Taliban that any international recognition would require the de facto authorities in Kabul to fulfil key conditions that include not allowing the Afghan soil to be the “hotbed” of terrorist activities, inclusive government and respecting the human rights particularly the rights of women and girls.
However, the two-day conference concluded in the Qatari capital without an agreement on the proposal regarding the appointment of a UN special envoy for Afghanistan.
The conference was convened by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and attended by special envoys from 25 countries including Pakistan. A group of civil society activists including women representatives of Afghanistan were also in attendance. –Agencies
