Taliban threatens to pull out of peace talks

With Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban movement feeling more and more isolated and looking for signs of international support, officials threatened to pull out of UN-mediated peace talks on Thursday as the threat of additional UN Security Council sanctions drew closer. “Talks will be stopped following the imposition of any additional UN sanctions,” the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef, told IRIN. He said the UN had already shown its “partiality” by recognising the regime of ousted president Burhanuddin Rabbani’s Northern Alliance as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. “Imposing one-sided sanctions against Afghanistan demonstrates that bias again, negating any possibility of objective arbitration in the conflict,” he said. “They (UN) are not in a position to mediate between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the opposition because they are biased and in favour of the opposition,” Zaeef said. “We are ready to continue talks, but through other neutral entities,” he added. As the Taliban movement moved to thwart further international isolation, the BBC reported on Thursday that a Chinese delegation on a visit to Afghanistan had been granted a rare meeting with the supreme spiritual leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Although officials gave no details about the talks, which took place in the southern city of Kandahar, speculation remains high that the visit was arranged by the Taliban in an effort to persuade China to veto the Security Council resolution being proposed by Russia and the US, the report said. Asked what significance the talks had, Abdul Salam Zaeef told IRIN that Afghanistan wanted to have cordial relations with all its neighbours on all issues of mutual interest. “China is a great neighbour of Afghanistan and has never interfered with the internal affairs of our country,” he said. Meanwhile, Taliban authorities on Tuesday called on the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to help block additional UN sanctions, AFP reported on Thursday. Foreign Minister Wakil Ahmad Mutawakel urged the OIC to help Afghanistan, which is reeling from a severe drought, existing UN sanctions and war. In a message to the OIC, Mutawakel said: “We expect you and all Muslim brethren to use your social, political and personal influence to help this suffering nation at a time when hardships have heightened. In addition to your political, moral and material assistance, [we request] your help in blocking or reducing the curbs or rendering them ineffective.” Regarding the possibility of the Taliban pulling out of UN-sponsored talks, diplomatic sources told IRIN on Thursday there was no alternative to its mediation. “The UN is mandated to mediate between the Afghan factions,” the sources said. “It can offer a coherent, cohesive plan for Afghanistan and can draw in the support of other UN agencies and the World Bank, for example. No other organisation can offer this.” The Security Council is currently considering a proposal by Russia and the US to increase existing sanctions against the Taliban, including a unilateral arms embargo on the Islamic militia, an overseas travel ban on its senior officials and the closure of its foreign offices. Commenting on potential repercussions for the UN’s operations in Afghanistan, UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said in New York, that the organisation “would be compelled to reduce the number of staff in the field, or even to evacuate international staff.”