Big powers face test of collaboration over Afghan relief

NEW YORK • The United States, China and Russia are facing an early test of whether they can collaborate to keep Afghanistan from sinking even deeper into crisis as they negotiate the renewal of a long-running United Nations mission that is scheduled to expire next week.

The UN Security Council met on Thursday to debate the Afghan situation and how to extend the organisation's operation there, which has a mandate through Sept 17. Ms Deborah Lyons, the UN's envoy to Afghanistan, called on the international community to unfreeze funds meant for Afghanistan, where prices of everything from food to fuel are skyrocketing.

"The economy must be allowed to breathe for a few more months, giving the Taliban a chance to demonstrate flexibility and a genuine will to do things differently this time, notably from a gender and counterterrorism perspective," Ms Lyons said.

The UN mission has served as a critical link for humanitarian and human rights programmes in Afghanistan, including support for gender equality efforts. That could be a flashpoint with the Taliban-led government because the group has a long history of abuses against women and girls despite recent promises of moderation.

"Quite simply, women and girls in Afghanistan must be treated as equal citizens," Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, who chaired the debate, told the Security Council.

Early signs are that the mission will be extended despite differences among the Security Council rivals over how to deal with Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, according to diplomats involved in the talks.

A vote is not expected until next week, they said.

China and Russia have made clear they are less inclined than the US and its allies to pass judgment on the Taliban. What happens after a temporary extension remains in doubt, with the longer-term presence of the UN and other aid organisations liable to become ensnared in a broader debate over how far to push the Taliban to uphold human rights.

The group's previous rule in the late 1990s was marked by widespread brutality, including the stoning of women.

Mr Ghulam Isaczai, the Afghanistan ambassador to UN appointed by the previous government, called on the international community to use sanctions to hold the Taliban accountable, urging Security Council members not to recognise the Taliban until it has demonstrated its willingness to rule the country inclusively.

He said women's rights should be a "red line".

Ms Wazhma Frogh, an Afghan women's rights activist, called on the world's powerful nations to act together. "We are told that some of you don't like each other, we are told that you are competing with each other," she told the Security Council on Thursday over a video link, holding back tears.

"My plea... is that can you please put aside your political differences and act as one voice, supporting the people of Afghanistan."

Taliban leaders have said they will let women work, attend school and exercise other rights within the structure of Islamic law, without giving details.

But UN and other officials say rights abuses are already occurring and many women are worried about reprisals for exercising their basic rights.

"Every day we're seeing reports of rollbacks on women's rights," Ms Alison Davidian, deputy country representative for UN Women in Afghanistan, told reporters on Wednesday. In some provinces, she said, "we're hearing that women are being prohibited from leaving their homes to go to work".

BLOOMBERG