Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: Briefing the UN Security Council UNSC, Tadamichi Yamamoto the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan has stressed over immediate talks between Kabul and Taliban members—something the Taliban group rejected time and again.
Yamamoto said the peace process was about determining the future of the country and must be owned by its people, including women.
“It is necessary that substantive talks on peace take place between the government representing a cross-section of the population and the Taliban. Inclusiveness, coherence and representativeness in negotiations are critical for success,” he said.
He put support and cooperation of the international community, particularly regional countries essential for a sustainable peace process.
The UN welcomed efforts and initiatives undertaken by different countries, he said, stressing the need for the constructive efforts to be in concert and aligned in support of Afghan-led peace drive, as agreed in Geneva last November.
“I commend the government of Afghanistan for its commitment to women’s participation (in peace parleys). Building on these steps, we must ensure that women’s representation is strengthened and diversified…”
In response to concerns, the Election Law was amended by a presidential decree in consultation with stakeholders and a selection process of new members and heads of secretariat for the two commissions was held in early March, involving civil society, political parties and the presidential candidates, he said.
The two commissions must work to rebuild public trust in the country’s electoral process, he believed. The integrity and collegiality of the two bodies were critical as the support of all government institutions, most notably the Afghan forces, he remarked.
“Now is the moment for the international community to look at Afghanistan with renewed eyes and reassess how we could contribute to the efforts for peace and to work with the people and government of Afghanistan.”
