Afghanistan's Taliban demands U.N. seat

November 5, 2000
Web posted at: 10:14 AM HKT (0214 GMT)

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) -- Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia urged the United Nations on Saturday to grant it recognition at a meeting in New York next week.

Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef, told a news conference there was no truth in recent media reports that the world body had already decided to grant Afghanistan's U.N. seat to the ousted government of Burhanuddin Rabbani for another year.

"No decision has been taken," Zaeef said, ahead of a U.N. meeting on the issue on Monday.

The Taliban -- which swept to power in 1996 after ousting Rabbani's government from the Afghan capital Kabul and now controls more than 95 percent of the war-ravaged country -- says the U.N. seat should belong to it.

The Taliban government is currently recognized by only Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Islamic militia has accused the U.N. of prolonging Afghanistan's civil war by continuing to recognize Rabbani as the official power.

Zaeef said if the U.N. granted the seat to Rabbani again, it would be tantamount to fanning war in a country devastated by 20 years of civil conflict.

"If the United Nations wants to recognize Rabbani, it means that the U.N. wants to continue the war. If they recognize Rabbani it means that he represents the people of Afghanistan but that is contrary to the reality in Afghanistan," he said.

The Taliban and the opposition Northern Alliance, led by Ahmed Shah Masood, are fighting on front lines in the north.

On Friday, Francesc Vendrell, the chief U.N. envoy for Afghanistan, said the warring sides had agreed to a new U.N.-sponsored peace effort to end the conflict.

The last talks were in July 1999 and included an exchange of prisoners and the opening of routes for humanitarian aid. But fighting has escalated since then.

Zaeef said the Taliban was cooperating fully with the U.N. in key areas, including the drug trade, and dismissed accusations that his movement was harboring terrorists.

"We have fulfilled all within our capacity...There is no terrorism from Afghanistan. We have not allowed terrorists to operate in or from our country," he said.

The U.N. Security Council has imposed aviation and financial sanctions against the Taliban for its refusal to expel Saudi Islamist Osama Bin Laden, blamed by Washington for plotting attacks against U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998.

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