3705th Meeting of Security Council: Situation in Afghanistan - Part 3

Continued silence by the Security Council in the face of "open and naked aggression" against Afghanistan by Pakistan would constitute a blow to the essence of the United Nations, the Council was told today, as 27 speakers took part in a day-long orientation debate on the situation in that country.

The Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Rahim Ghafoorzai, told the Council that when the Taliban movement had invaded Kabul on 27 September, it had been accompanied by Pakistani military officers and militias. In fact, Pakistan's Interior Minister had been referred to as the "Commander of the Taliban" by a member of Pakistan's Parliament. Since the invasion of Kabul, women had been forced to leave their jobs, girls had been turned out of schools, and some 250,000 refugees had fled to northern Afghanistan. Now, he had heard proposals made for an arms embargo on his country. Such an embargo "should be applied against the Government that had sent mercenaries to Afghanistan in blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and international law", he said.

In response to the statement of Afghanistan's Vice-Minister, the representative of Pakistan said that the present conflict in Afghanistan dated from the refusal of President Burhanuddin Rabbani to step down at the end of his term in June 1994, thus triggering widespread disaffection against his State apparatus. In response, the Afghanistan Students Militia -- the Taliban -- had restored relative peace to the two thirds of the country that they now held.

A number of Central Asian members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) told the Council that events in Afghanistan threatened the political stability of the subregion. The representative of Kazakstan said that any actions which threatened the borders of the States of the Commonwealth would be met with an appropriate response.

Uzbekistan's representative said that an embargo on the delivery of weapons to Afghanistan could be a positive element in the search for peace in that country, and the United Nations should help organize an international conference on Afghanistan. The representative of Tajikistan said that stability on the southern borders of the CIS could help prevent the trafficking of arms, drugs and criminal elements.

The representative of the Russian Federation said that the approach of the flames of the Afghan war was a threat to Russia's national interests, as well as to stability in the region. The armed conflict must stop, and dialogue must resume for there to be a solution to the conflict.

Speakers in the debate also agreed that a military solution was not possible and called for an immediate end to the conflict. There was no alternative to negotiation and compromise, they said. Participants specifically urged all States to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Afghanistan and to end the flow of arms into the country.

Representatives also condemned the recent violation of the United Nations offices in Kabul and called for the security of all international humanitarian assistance personnel to be guaranteed. At the same time, they called on the international community to continue assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Several speakers supported the convening of an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations to search for ways to end the conflict.

Also participating in today's debate were the representatives of the Kyrgyz Republic, Germany, United Kingdom, Indonesia, France, Republic of Korea, Botswana, Egypt, Italy, Chile, China, Guinea-Bissau, Poland, United States, Honduras, Iran, Turkey, India, Japan and Ireland (on behalf of the European Union and associated States). The observer of the Organization of the Islamic Conference also spoke.

For further details please see source:
MEETINGS COVERAGE

For further details please see official record:
S/PV.3705