PESHAWAR: In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly, United States President Joe Biden defended the decision to withdraw US troop from Afghanistan, adding that his country is focusing on “relentless diplomacy” to address global challenges instead of starting “a new cold war”.
He told the annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 22: “We have ended the four-year conflict in Afghanistan. Let’s open a new chapter of relentless diplomacy.” He added that instead of fighting past wars, we are focusing on other global challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and human rights abuses.
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Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Biden said the United States had ended the 20-year-old conflict in Afghanistan and closed the chapter on the ongoing wars, now opening a new chapter to resolve outstanding issue via diplomacy. The US President also emphasized on the right of Afghan women and girls to work and education.
“The Security Council adopted a resolution on how to support the development of the Afghan people. What can be expected of the Taliban in terms of human rights? We must all support the rights of women and girls. They should have economic, political and social freedom to pursue their aspirations without hatred or violence.”
The Taliban, who captured Kabul on August 15, have so far not appointed any women on any of ministerial posts. They have also been strongly criticised for not allowing women to continue their education.
But Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s deputy information and culture minister and spokesman, told a news conference in Kabul on September 21 that girls would soon be able to go to school. The group has also been criticized for disbanding the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in connection with women’s rights, but Mohammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha, said that women ministry is fully functional.