UNSC extends Afghanistan's mission mandate

(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) WASHINGTON (Pajhwok): The United Nations Security Council on Thursday extended the mandate of its mission in Afghanistan

In a unanimous resolution, the Security Council welcomed the findings of a strategic review of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan or UNAMA's mandated tasks, priorities and related resources, and called for implementation of the Secretary‑General's recommendations in that regard.

Extending its full support to the Afghan‑led and Afghan‑owned peace process, the Council called on regional and international partners to support the Kabul Process for peace and security cooperation initiated in June 2017, working towards early and direct talks between the government and authorized representatives of Taliban

It reiterated concern over attacks by the Taliban, the Haqqani Network

In her address to the Security Council Habibi Sarabi, Deputy Chairperson of Afghanistan's High Peace Council

The Taliban would be recognized as a political party so long as it obeyed the rule of law and respected women's rights.

Mariam Safi, Executive Director of the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies, on the other hand cautioned that the hope of a brighter future was beginning to fade.

Safe zones had become battlefields, and for the first time, young single women comprised a significant number of refugees, she said.

'For Afghan women, it is imperative for the State to define the type of peace that would ensue from negotiations,' she said, stressing that they believed their rights to be intricately linked to the peace process outcomes. She urged the Council to persuade Pakistan

Tadamichi Yamamoto, Special Representative of the Secretary‑General for Afghanistan, said upcoming elections in Afghanistan would be an opportunity to ensure that unity and stability prevailed, with all groups represented.

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