Taliban demand to address UN General Assembly
The Taliban sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting a speech at the UN General Assembly. The group appointed Suhail Shaheen as its permanent representative to the UN. The UN is reviewing the Taliban letter.
The United Nations spokesman announced on Tuesday, September 21, that he had received a letter from Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's Foreign Minister, in which the Taliban requested the presence of its permanent representative in this international organization.
The Taliban letter states that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was ousted on August 15 and is no longer recognized by anyone in the world.
The Taliban letter states that the mission of Ghulam Iskzai, the former Afghan ambassador to the United Nations, has ended and that Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, the former spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, will be introduced as the new ambassador.
Suhail Shaheen previously managed the capital's only English-language newspaper, the Kabul Times, during the Taliban regime. He also served as Afghanistan's representative to the United Nations and as the head of the embassy of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan in Pakistan.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said that after consulting with the organization's office, the letter was sent to the UN General Assembly's "Credentials Committee."
It is not yet known who will speak on behalf of Afghanistan at the United Nations General Assembly.
The United Nations General Assembly session began on Tuesday, September 20. Leaders from about 100 countries will participate in person in the week-long UN meeting.
The issue of Afghanistan is one of the important topics of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in mid-August, amid the withdrawal of American troops, and formed a transitional government.
So far, no country has recognized the Taliban government, but many countries, including the United States, are negotiating with Taliban representatives.
Representatives of international human rights organizations expressed concern about the ongoing developments in Afghanistan.
Amnesty International on Tuesday (September 21) held the Taliban responsible for serious human rights violations in Afghanistan.
Targeted killings of civilians, killings of soldiers who have surrendered, preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the Panjshir Valley, trampling on women's rights, and violating freedom of expression are among the issues mentioned in the Amnesty International report.
Amnesty International has also called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to establish an independent commission to collect and record evidence and documents of human rights violations by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Source: DW
