UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council on Thursday renewed the world physique’s help mission in Afghanistan for an additional 12 months, however Russia abstained from the vote over what it known as a “cussed ignorance of the new realities” after the Taliban seized energy.
The hard-line Islamist Taliban has not been acknowledged internationally as Afghanistan’s authorities since taking over in August.
Russia needed the 15-member council to reference the “de-facto authorities” and a necessity for host nation approval of the U.N. presence. The decision, adopted with 14 votes in favor, cites “related authorities” and doesn’t point out host nation settlement.
Russia’s abstention from the annual vote comes amid Moscow’s worldwide isolation over its invasion of Ukraine final month.
“We would not need the U.N. mission for help in Afghanistan to show right into a United Nations Mission Impossible. Support from the de-facto authorities would enable the mission to successfully fulfill its mandate and to realize its targets,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia advised the council.
Norway’s U.N. Ambassador Mona Juul mentioned the decision, drafted by Norway, offers the U.N. mission “a strong mandate to interact with all related actors on all elements of its mandate”.
“That consists of additionally Taliban, but it surely does under no circumstances indicate U.N. recognition of Taliban,” she advised reporters.
The U.N. mission was established 20 years in the past to assist efforts to realize peace and stability in Afghanistan after U.S.-backed Afghan forces ousted the Taliban in late 2001 for refusing at hand over al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.
The Security Council decision outlines priorities for the mission to focus on now the Taliban has returned to energy. Those embody support supply, funding for humanitarian actions, safety of human rights and equal participation of ladies.
A humanitarian disaster has worsened and the economic system faces collapse after worldwide growth support dried up since August and Afghan central financial institution property had been frozen. Many Taliban leaders are beneath U.S. and U.N. sanctions.
While the Taliban have vowed to respect ladies’s rights, beneath the rule of the hard-line Islamist group from 1996 to 2001, ladies couldn’t work and women had been banned from faculty.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; modifying by Jonathan Oatis)
