KABUL - Mahmoud Saikal, Afghanistan’s permanent representative in the UN has said recent developments in the context of the Afghan peace process provided hope for reconciliation in the country.
Efforts over the past months include the presentation of a peace plan in February that featured unconditional talks with the Taliban and conferences in Kabul and Jakarta which resulted in a three‑day ceasefire, he said.
Commenting during discussion on situation in Afghanistan at the UN General Assembly, he said: “The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference in July denounced war and left “no grounds of religious justification for the war”.
However, he warned that the Taliban continued to pursue a policy of violence and terror.  Domestically, a consultation process is underway to ensure that peace efforts have the full support of society, he said, adding that a road map for peace was recently introduced in Geneva.
“The road map aims for a peace agreement that will uphold the constitutional rights of all citizens, especially women,” he said, calling for regional support to the process.
Afghanistan’s location in the heart of Asia has led to vested interests, aimed at meddling and interference, which benefit nobody, Mahmoud Saikal, Afghanistan permanent representative at the UN has said.
“Violence has brought untold suffering and devastation for our people,” he asserted, pointing to a “new era of meddling” following the end of Soviet occupation.
Despite its troubled past, Afghanistan has made progress in becoming self‑reliant and the current draft resolution on the situation in the country “exemplifies the international community’s commitment to improve the situation on the ground”.
He said Afghan security forces have inflicted heavy losses on the Taliban and other transnational terrorist networks.
“The Taliban have failed to capture any province or city and assert control anywhere in the country.”
“We have focused on security sector, civil service and fiscal reform, improved governance and anti‑corruption,” he noted, adding that such measures strengthen the rule of law.  He said this year’s draft resolution highlights the direct link between regional economic cooperation and peace.
Afghanistan looked forward to working with international partners to advance cooperation in the fields of security and social and economic development.  The year 2001 — when countries converged in Afghanistan to defeat international terrorism — signaled that cooperation and collaboration serve the interests of all.
“It is imperative to regenerate and solidify consensus for the goals at hand,” he said, calling for closer coordination by all stakeholders to advance peace, security and prosperity in the country. (Pajhwok)