[Follow-up to Rashid article]
DAWN October 8, 2001
United Nations consults US about political solution
By M. Arshad Sharif
ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The United Nations has started intensive consultations with United States and its influential allies to find political solution to the Afghan crisis. "A number of senior UN officials are engaged in intensive coordination with major world powers to look at new approaches to a political settlement in Afghanistan," senior UN officials told Dawn.
United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) director, Eric Falt said that under the framework of the "Geneva Initiative," a closed door meeting will be held between representatives from Germany, Italy, Iran and the United States on Sunday and Monday. The meeting will be presided over by Francesc Vendrell, the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy for Afghanistan. The group, which has already met twice, will deliberate on political settlement of the Afghan crisis.
Francesc Vendrell, visited Pakistan earlier last week and called for establishing a broad based government in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, according to UNIC sources, the Secretary General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, has joined a number of the main players in the UN team for humanitarian and political meetings on Afghanistan.
The humanitarian crisis will figure prominently in the Afghan Forum on Refugees and Displaced Persons, hosted by the UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator, Kenzo Oshima and by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers. The meeting has gathered more than 120 participants from donor countries, non-governmental organizations, aid agencies and various United Nations Agencies.
Sources said that the Regional Humanitarian Co-ordinator for the crisis, Mike Sackett and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Mary Robinson will also take part in the discussions.
Diplomatic sources said that the Afghanistan crisis is no longer confined to one country. "It is now a regional crisis, adversely affecting conditions in Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, India, Iran, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan." It impinges directly on conflicts as diverse as Chechnya, the Fergana, Kashmir, and Xinjiang, the diplomats said.
According to UN sources, no long-term solution to the Afghan problem is possible without a government in that country that can be recognized by major states and international organizations, including the UN. In order to achieve US and international recognition and to qualify for major redevelopment support, a government in Afghanistan must be national in character, representing all Afghan factions, sources added.
International coordination, comprising the 6 plus 2 group, Afghan Support Group, UN Security Council and the UN Secretary General are also focusing on finding a concerted political solution for Afghanistan, sources said.
It has been emphasised, sources said, that it is not feasible to delay large-scale emergency relief and major economic initiatives in Afghanistan until an "acceptable" political solution has been found. Instead, efforts should focus first on helping the Afghan people to survive and feed themselves and the best way to improve conditions for a political solution is to demonstrate first that progress can be made in the struggle for survival and in the renewal of basic necessities of life, they added.
__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com