WASHINGTON - Cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is key to the success of peace process with the Taliban, a top Afghan diplomat told members of the Security Council on Monday.
“We welcome the new phase of cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan towards the shared goal of peace and reconciliation,” Afghan Ambassador Zahir Tanin.
It is essential to the success of the peace process and heralds a new era of relations between our two brother nations,” Afghan Ambassador to the UN, Zahir Tanin said during UNSC debate.
He also hailed support from Afghanistan’s partners, particularly in the region and the Islamic world, for facilitating the peace process. Tanin said lasting peace was critical to building a prosperous and stable Afghanistan.
After the debate, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for another year.
The Security Council requested that the secretary-general initiate a process to conduct within six months a full examination of the role, structure and activities of all UN entities in Afghanistan.
Tanin welcomed the request. “The process put forward in today’s resolution will allow us to fully engage all stakeholders over the next six months through a new mechanism which will refine the framework of our partnership...”
Opening the debate, UNAMA head Nicholas Haysom referred to a number of significant developments that had brought renewed hope for an active peace process, including the formation of a national unity government.
“These positive developments are testament to the efforts of President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah.Their collaborative leadership will remain essential for any peace talks to progress, for comprehensive electoral reforms to take hold, and for the implementation of the changes required to reinvigorate the economy,” he added.
In her statement, US Ambassador Samantha Power commended Ghani and Abdullah’s shared commitment to prioritizing electoral reform.
She said: “Last year’s election exposed chronic weaknesses in Afghanistan’s electoral system. Promptly identifying the reforms and implementing them urgently and in a manner consistent with international standards is critical…”
Establishing the Special Electoral Reform Commission, which the two leaders agreed upon last fall, would be an important step toward that end, she added.
Pakistan’s Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, said security challenges confronting Afghanistan remained imposing. “As anticipated, violence has escalated. The Taliban will no doubt test the mettle of the Afghan National Security Force,” she remarked.
A military solution was not possible, she believed, saying the new Afghan government had called for dialogue to resolve differences through political means.
“There are encouraging indications that the Taliban may be willing to negotiate with it. We hope they will join the reconciliation process…” (Pajhwok)