Afghanistan Times
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Kabul: Following the expiration of the three-month travel exemption for 13 officials of the Taliban government and the dispute between the member states of the United Nations Security Council regarding its extension, the second meeting of this council did not come to a conclusion.
In the first meeting, the veto power of the Security Council had emphasized the non-exemption of travel by Taliban officials, but the countries of China and Russia demanded the extension of this exemption for at least another three months, which was not approved by the other members.
In the second meeting, the United States made another proposal and asked the members of the Security Council to completely ban the travel of seven members of the mentioned list and limit the travel of six of them to the city of Doha, the capital of Qatar, but this proposal was not approved by China and Russia. The second meeting also ended without results.
Opponents of the extension of this exemption have cited the non-respect of women’s rights and the closure of girls’ schools in Afghanistan.
Before the UN Security Council meetings were held, the Taliban had demanded the lifting of the ban on the travel of their officials and the called on western countries to refrain using this issue as a pressure tool.
In another event Taliban expelled Arnott Pauls, the EU ambassador to Afghanistan, from Kabul. In response to this action of the Taliban, Powles pointed out in a Twitter message the replacement of a female diplomat named “Rafael Laydik” and addressed the Taliban: “You can take the diplomat out of Afghanistan, but you can’t take Afghanistan out of the diplomat”
Mr. Powles had asked the Taliban many times before to reopen the girls’ schools and mentioned it as the most important request of the international community along with the establishment of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
