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UN envoy optimistic peace talks will continue

The UN Secretary-General's Personal Representative for Afghanistan, Francesc Vendrell, told IRIN on Friday he was optimistic that peace talks would continue even if new sanctions were imposed on the ruling Taliban Islamic Movement of Afghanistan. Vendrell dismissed media reports speculating that the Taliban would close UN political offices inside Afghanistan if additional UN Security Council sanctions on the movement were announced. "The Taliban have told me that if they were forced to close their diplomatic presence abroad, then they would also close the UN political presence in Afghanistan." This decision would only arise once sanctions were imposed and after they became effective, bearing in mind there would be a one-month grace period for the Taliban to comply, he said. Vendrell's comments follow a meeting on Tuesday in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat between the Taliban and the United Front (also known as the Northern Alliance), the first face-to-face meeting between the warring Afghan factions in over a year. An impromptu meal hosted by the Turkmen government "provided an unexpected and welcome opportunity for a general exchange of views between the Taliban and the United Front" a UN statement said. Vendrell told IRIN that he had advised the Taliban against the closure of UN political offices in Afghanistan, allowing for a continuation of the peace efforts committed to by both parties on 2 November. "One thing is very clear: the Taliban office to the UN [in New York] is not likely to be closed and, therefore, I see no reason for the UN political office in Afghanistan to be closed," he added. It had been made clear to the Taliban that the political offices of the UN Secretary-General remained impartial, Vendrell said. "Just as the Taliban has acknowledged the distinction between the UN's humanitarian and political wing, I also hope that they will distinguish between the Secretary-General's office and the views and positions of inter-governmental bodies, such as the Security Council." Vendrell said that a representative of his office was scheduled to meet with the Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan, Lu Shulin, on Friday 15 December. A Chinese delegation led by Shulin, held a rare meeting on Tuesday in the Afghan capital Kabul, with the Taliban's spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, in an effort to head off new sanctions, media reports said. The meeting was the highest ranking contact ever by China with the reclusive Mullah Omar. China, which could veto a Security Council resolution, has traditionally been sceptical of sanctions and is also anxious to protect Pakistan, an ally of both the Taliban and China. Media reports said Shulin refused to comment on the detail of his talks with Taliban officials, or if there was any agreement on sanctions, which stem from the Taliban's refusal to hand over Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden to face US charges of terrorism. The US and Russia want to impose an arms embargo on the Taliban, close their offices abroad and bar their officials from overseas travel.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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