Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar spoke to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday and urged him to call an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss the Taliban-led violence in Afghanistan. India is currently a non-permanent member of the UNSC and holds the rotating presidency of the Council for August.
A press release by the Afghan Foreign Ministry stated that Atmar “talked about the escalation of violence [and] widespread human rights violations by the Taliban and foreign terrorist groups operations in Afghanistan.” He also spoke of “the unprecedented increase in the Taliban’s brutal attacks on the Afghan people, which have resulted in the killing of scores of civilians and displacement of many thousands of others.” Atmar noted that the Taliban had been committing war crimes “in collusion with foreign fighters and terrorist groups.”
Atmar tweeted that, during his conversation with Jaishankar, he discussed “convening an emergency UN Security Council session” on the Taliban-led offensive and that the body, along with the international community, “must play a greater role to stop the unfolding tragedy.”
The Afghan press release mentioned that Jaishankar expressed India’s “deep concern” over the worsening security situation in Afghanistan and said that convening a meeting of the UNSC was necessary for “the immediate cessation of human rights abuses and the establishment of lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region.”
On the same day, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, the UNSC President for August, addressing the media, said the Afghan conflict is one of “deep concern” for the Council members and expects that the UNSC will be “looking at this aspect sooner rather than later.” He reiterated the Indian government’s support for an “independent, peaceful, democratic, and a stable” Afghan government. “We have supported a leading role for the UN since it will help in a lasting and durable outcome to the discussions which are going on,” he added.
Tirumurti also urged the Taliban to refrain from using violence to come into power in the country. He highlighted that any government requires legitimacy, which is not possible through “unilateral actions.”
The UNSC passed a resolution condemning the ongoing attacks on civilians in Afghanistan “in the strongest terms.” The release, signed by all 15 Council members, acknowledged the need for an inclusive Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process. The statement added that the Council does “not support the restoration of the Islamic emirate.” The UNSC will convene a meeting on the issue on Friday.
The telephonic conversation between Atmar and Jaishankar follows an attack on Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi’s residence in Kabul on Tuesday. Although the minister was not harmed, the security forces and the attackers engaged in a violent confrontation.
For Afghanistan, international action on the ongoing conflict is necessary, specifically amid the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from the country.
Afghan FM Atmar Calls for Emergency UNSC Session in Meeting With Indian EAM Jaishankar
Speaking with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs Haneef Atmar called for an emergency session of the UNSC to discuss the crisis in Afghanistan.
August 4, 2021
SOURCE: REUTERS