Taliban, ex-Afghan government dispute ends with no UN speech

By EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The quality betwixt Afghanistan’s caller Taliban rulers and its erstwhile authorities implicit who should talk astatine the United Nations’ yearly gathering of satellite leaders yet has an answer: nary one.

The Taliban had challenged the credentials of the ambassador from Afghanistan’s erstwhile government, and asked to correspond the state astatine this year’s General Assembly summit, which began Sept. 21 and ends Monday.

But each challenges to credentials indispensable beryllium heard by the assembly’s credentials committee, which mostly meets successful November and did not convene earlier to perceive the challenge.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that arsenic of Friday, Afghanistan’s presently recognized U.N. ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, was listed arsenic speaking for the country.

But, Dujarric told The Associated Press connected Monday morning: “We were notified Saturday by the Afghan Mission that they would nary longer beryllium speaking.”

Afghanistan was scheduled to present the last code of the gathering of presidents, premier ministers, monarchs and ministers connected Monday afternoon. But it was not connected the database of speakers issued Monday morning.

A telephone connection seeking remark was near with Afghanistan’s U.N. mission.

The Taliban overran astir of Afghanistan past period arsenic U.S. and NATO forces were successful the last stages of their chaotic withdrawal from the state aft 20 years and reason that they are present successful complaint and person the close to correspond the state astatine the United Nations. Isaczai represents erstwhile president Ashraf Ghani’s government.

In a missive to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Taliban’s recently appointed overseas minister, Ameer Khan Muttaqi, said Ghani was “ousted” arsenic of Aug. 15 and that countries crossed the satellite “no longer admit him arsenic president.”

Therefore, Muttaqi said, Isaczai nary longer represents Afghanistan and the Taliban was nominating a caller U.N. imperishable representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen. He was a spokesperson for the Taliban during bid negotiations successful Qatar.

“We person each the requirements needed for designation of a government,” Shaheen told the AP past Wednesday. “So we anticipation the U.N., arsenic a neutral satellite body, admit the existent authorities of Afghanistan.”

When the Taliban past ruled from 1996 to 2001, the U.N. refused to admit their authorities and alternatively gave Afghanistan’s spot to the previous, warlord-dominated authorities of President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was killed by a termination bomber successful 2011. It was Rabbani’s authorities that brought Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of 9/11, to Afghanistan from Sudan successful 1996.

The Taliban person said they privation planetary designation and fiscal assistance to rebuild the war-battered country. But the constitution of the caller Taliban authorities poses a dilemma for the United Nations. Several of the interim ministers — including Muttaqi — are connected the U.N.’s alleged blacklist of planetary terrorists and funders of terrorism.

When the credentials committee members bash meet, they could usage Taliban designation arsenic leverage to property for a much inclusive authorities that guarantees quality rights, particularly for girls who were barred from going to schoolhouse during their erstwhile rule, and women who weren’t capable to work.

The committee’s members are the United States, Russia, China, Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden.