Peacemakers taking sides in Afghan conflict — UN

He was referring, in a written report to the general assembly, to a group comprising Afghanistan’s six neighbours — China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — plus the United States and Russia.

The group was originally established “with the intention of adopting a joint strategy towards reaching a peaceful solution of the Afghan conflict,” Annan said.

The Islamist Taliban movement, which controls about 90 per cent of the country but is recognised only by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is battling an opposition alliance led by Ahmad Shah Masood.

Taliban accuses Iran, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan of aiding the opposition, which in turn accuses Pakistan of backing the Taliban.

“It appears that, despite the agreements on texts and declarations, the `six plus two’ group has not been able to make real progress on a more unified approach vis a vis the warring parties in Afghanistan,” Annan wrote.

“Words must be put into political practice. In fact, by their continuous support for certain Afghan factions, some members of the `six plus two’ appear mostly to be paying lip service to their own stated intentions,” he declared.

Annan said he shared the concern of his special envoy for Afghanistan, former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar Brahimi “about the practical usefulness of the `six plus two’ for the United Nations’ peacemaking efforts in Afghanistan.” He therefore supported Brahimi’s recommendation to review the UN approach.

Annan said it was “profoundly disturbing” that only a week after a meeting in July of the `six plus two’ in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, the Taliban forces began a new offensive.

This again raised serious concerns about the intentions of the Taliban leadership, which evidently continued to believe in a military solution, he said. “Peace can only be achieved through negotiations and reconciliation and not by territorial conquest,” Annan stated.

He also said it was his “sad duty once more to alert the international community to the worsening human rights situation in Afghanistan,” referring particularly to the displacement of the civilian population during the recent Taliban offensive in the Shomali plains.