Curbs on Afghanistan not to help peace process: Annan - F.P. 12/27

ISLAMABAD - The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan commenting on UNSCsanctions against Afghanistan to impose new restrictions on Afghan rulers, has said the sanctions are not going to facilitate our peace efforts nor are these going to facilitate our humanitarian work.

Sanctions are already enforced, now they have been tightened to try to force the Taliban to hand over Osama bin Laden, reports BBC.

America’s Deputy UN Ambassador, Nacy Sodoburg said, “Over a year ago this body enacted sanctions with a single simple demand to the Taliban leadership, turn over Osama bin Laden without further delay to appropriate authorities in a country where he will be arrested and effectively brought to justice.

And yet today the terrorists remain in Afghanistan and that no one misunderstand they remain a continuing threat”.  Annan again speaking earlier this week said he was not in favour of the new measures arguing they could undermine peace moves and humanitarian work.

“I think we had given adequate indications of that to the Council. But the decision belongs to the Council and of course once they take the decision we have to adopt and take the necessary measures that are required”, he said.

“Well, as for the Taliban, they have been defiant calling the demands to hand over Osama bin Laden as unacceptable and irrational.  But can they afford to be so defiant.

Ahmed Rashid is the author of a recent book on the Taliban”, Annan added.

“When you look at the situation inside the country it is really desperate. I think one reason for this defiance is a fact they want to keep the movement united. I think there are very severe divisions within the Taliban between a moderate factions and a very hard-line faction which is in control of the movement and one thing the Americans are trying to do with these sanctions is to create further divisions within the Taliban I think.

The other think is really that the horrendous economic and humanitarian situation that now exists with winter. Tens of thousands of refugees near starvation in many areas and the Taliban are refusing to deal with any of these issues and in fact trying to blame the US and other countries for these issues is only creasing public anger, frustration with them I think”.

“There is an administration which basically carries out two things, one is law and order maintaining Taliban rule and the other is imposing the Islamic regime and Islamic measures that they believe in.  What of course is completely lacking is any kind of economic in put or development input or in fact anything to do with helping the people, deal with their daily life, now this is not just true this is not just the case with the Taliban.

True for the other side also the anti-Taliban alliance, what we have seen in fact over the years all the warlords in Afghanistan have refused to deal with people’s problems”, he said.

“I think with the desperate situation is the fledgling signs of a king of civil movement really and which is not political but you have a local level now sings of public protest.  I mean at the moment is not really expressed in a political way.  I mean these are local protests aimed a local Taliban administrators you know in the districts.  What we have not seen is any kind of political protest and indeed that would be very difficult given that the Taliban do control the society very tightly”.

“I don’t see that the Taliban days being numbered in that sense. I think what a lot of people would like to see and a lot of Afghans would like to see is a moderate Taliban leadership emerged, you know some kind of power struggle which unfortunately is probably going to be very bloody, if it does take place. But some kind of power struggle internally which would bring to the front a Taliban leadership, which is willing to work with the opposition, with the population and with the West and the Americans”.