NEW YORK: The Taliban on Friday made a fresh appeal for Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations (UN) after the ambassador of the former US-backed government left his post.
Assistant UN spokesman Farhan Haq told international news agency AFP that Afghan ambassador Ghulam Isaczai “relinquished his position as of December 15”, according to a letter they received on Thursday.
The UN seat, and some other embassies abroad, are at the centre of a tug-of-war between exiled diplomats of the old government and Afghanistan’s new rulers. No country has yet recognised the Taliban regime.
The Taliban’s nominee for the position, Suhail Shaheen, said the seat should be now given to the new government of Afghanistan, adding it was a matter of credibility for the world body.
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Rules should supersede political preferences. Otherwise, its neutrality will be questioned.— Suhail Shaheen. محمد سهیل شاهین (@suhailshaheen1) December 17, 2021
The current government in Afghanistan “has sovereignty” over the country, he said on Twitter. “Rules should supersede political preferences. Otherwise, its neutrality will be questioned,” he added.
Early this month, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution indefinitely delaying a decision over the rival claims. But even a month after the Taliban takeover, Isaczai was still being received at UN headquarters — and in November openly criticised the country’s new rulers.
When they previously ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban had no UN representation and their rule was recognised by just three countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
UN-nominee Shaheen served as deputy ambassador to Islamabad during that period, becoming the movement’s exiled spokesman after they were toppled and a favourite of foreign media because of his fluent English.
