The UN Security Council reaffirmed the importance of the UN’s role in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan and welcomed the efforts of all regional and international partners of the country in facilitating the long-delayed intra-Afghan talks.
The United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad in a recent tweet said that the UNSC’s statement on the Afghan peace negotiations underscores the international commitment to Afghanistan’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity.
Zalmay Khalilzad before signing an agreement with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.Credit…Ibraheem Al Omari/Reuters
Ambassador Khalilzad said this is a unique moment for Afghanistan [to bring the longest-running war of the country to end], and this unique opportunity must be seized.
He said the UNSC statement supports the path the parties are currently on.
The UN Security Council in a statement on Friday welcomed the start of the Afghan peace negotiations in the Qatari capital of Doha and strongly encouraged the parties to continue pursuing confidence-building measures, including reduction in violence and to continue to engage in good faith.
Members of the UNSC observe a moment of silence at the beginning of a meeting about Afghanistan at the UN headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, March 10, 2020. (Reuters)
The members of the Security Council recognized that a sustainable peace can be achieved only through a comprehensive and inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process that aims at a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire as well as an inclusive political settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan, according to the statement.
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