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KABUL: The Indian permanent envoy to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin on Wednesday backed the UN’s call for direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, stressing the need for continued international community support to Afghan security forces in the fight against terrorism.
KABUL: The Indian permanent envoy to the UN, Syed Akbaruddin on Wednesday backed the UN’s call for direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban, stressing the need for continued international community support to Afghan security forces in the fight against terrorism.
This comes a day after the UN Secretary General Special Representative Tadamachi Yamamoto said it was imperative that direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban were lunched at the earliest possible. Briefing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Afghanistan situation, he said the conflict could be resolved only by direct talks between the Afghans.
Addressing the quarterly debate on United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) at the UN Security Council, the Indian envoy said the support and safe havens enjoyed from by the terrorist groups such as the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, Da’esh, as well as Al Qaeda must be addressed.
“Having been victims of terrorism, we understand and empathize with our Afghan friends the suffering and pain they are undergoing” he said.
“Amidst the clouds of uncertainty of the present, we should not forget the precious gains that the Afghan people have made in the last 18 years,” the envoy added.
Akbaruddin said: “It is the Afghan people who will implement and bear the consequences of any agreements arrived at.”
“Hence outcomes having constitutional legitimacy and political mandate and which are arrived at in an inclusive and democratic way can ensure stability. We, therefore, support the Secretary General’s call for direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.”
He also added that the process of peace and reconciliation cannot go forward in an atmosphere of terror.
The remarks by the Indian envoy came days after the US President Donald Trump called off peace talks with Taliban group in Doha and later dubbed them ‘dead’ after nearly a year of peace negotiations conducted between US negotiators, with Zalmay Khalilzad being at the helm, and the Taliban representatives.
President Trump called off the talks in the wake of a series of deadly attacks in Kabul, including the latest car bombing which killed more than 10 innocent people, including a US service member.
