PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban have demanded that they should be given the opportunity to attend and address the ongoing session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and has named its spokesman Sohail Shaheen as Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Nations.
The Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mottaki in a letter to UN Secretary General António Guterres urged that the Taliban should be given the opportunity to address the UN General Assembly. Antonio Guterres spokesman Farhan Haq confirmed also Amir Khan Mottaki’s letter.
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The Taliban’s move would make matters worse for Ghulam Ishaqzai as he is serving as Afghan government envoy to the United Nations, which was ousted by the Taliban last month. Farhan Haq said that the request for Afghanistan’s seat in the United Nations was sent to a nine-member committee, which includes the United States, China and Russia.
The UN General Assembly will end on Monday, and the nine-nation committee is unlikely to meet soon which means the Taliban’s foreign minister may not have the opportunity to address world leaders.
It should be noted that the approval of the appointment of the Taliban ambassador to the United Nations will be an important step for their international recognition. This will open up the prospects for funding the crisis-ridden Afghan economy. UN Secretary-General said that the Taliban’s desire for international recognition is the only factor that could lead other countries to demand that all Afghans be included in the government and respect women rights.
Farhan Haq says the Taliban’s letter states that Ishaqzai’s mission is “over and he is no longer representing Afghanistan.” However, according to UN rules, Ghulam Ishaqzai will remain in his seat until the committee makes a final decision. Ishaqzai is scheduled to address world leaders on the last day of the summit on September 27. However, it is not clear whether any country will object to Ishaqzai because of the Taliban’s letter.
During the Taliban’s rule from 1996 to 2001, Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations was appointed by the deposed government, as the committee postponed its decision on a request to appoint someone else to the seat.