UN calls for unity against 'global terrorist threat' in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON • The United Nations Security Council said the international community must ensure Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorism under the Taleban, following an emergency meeting in New York.

The 15-member council issued a joint statement on Monday after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the meeting that the world must unite to combat the "global terrorist threat in Afghanistan".

The council "reaffirmed the importance of combating terrorism in Afghanistan" to ensure it "should not be used to threaten or attack any country, and that neither the Taleban nor any other Afghan group or individual should support terrorists operating on the territory of any other country".

After the Taleban took power in Afghanistan for the first time in 1996 following a brutal civil war, the Islamist fundamentalist regime provided a safe haven for terror group Al-Qaeda to operate training camps. The United States overthrew the Taleban in 2001 in retaliation for the Sept 11 attacks on America.

"The international community must unite to make sure that Afghanistan is never again used as a platform or safe haven for terrorist organisations," Mr Guterres said, urging nations to use all tools at their disposal "to suppress the global terrorist threat in Afghanistan and to guarantee that basic human rights will be respected".

In Geneva, independent UN human rights experts urged the Security Council to act under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which allows for military action to restore international peace and security, but diplomats said they were not considering that right now.

Mr Guterres said it was "essential that the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls are protected". "We cannot and must not abandon the people of Afghanistan," he said.

The Security Council statement called for an immediate end to violence and "a peaceful settlement through an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process of national reconciliation".

Afghanistan's Ambassador to the UN, Mr Ghulam M. Isaczai, urged nations to "unequivocally state" that they would not recognise a Taleban government. China has said it is ready for "friendly and cooperative" relations with Afghanistan's next government while Russia has confirmed it had "established working contacts with representatives of the new authorities".

Pakistan complained that India, which holds the council's rotating presidency, had rejected its request to address the meeting.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE