UN should consider more sanctions against Taleban - Lavrov

Tuesday, March 21, 2000 3:17 AM EST

UNITED NATIONS, March 21 (Itar-Tass) - The UN should consider additional sanctions against Afghanistan's fundamentalist movement Taleban, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Sergei Lavrov, said.

If the Taleban are so "so stubbornly and brazenly" ignoring the UN Security Council's stance, more sanctions against them should be considered, Lavrov said in an interview with Itar-Tass on Monday.

He said a "whole number of Council members supported" the opinion of the Russian delegation.

Lavrov said the Security Council at its Monday briefing on the situation in Afghanistan placed on the Taleban responsibility for the renewed hostilities in Afghanistan.

The Taleban have "full responsibility for support of international terrorism", and the Russian delegation focused attention of Security Council members on it, Lavrov said.

Security Council members also so sharply critised the Taleban's leaders for "refusal to comply with the demands of the Security Council regarding both political settlement, non-resumption of military action, and extradition of Osama bin Laden", the Saudi-born international terrorist, Lavrov said.

The Taleban is still ignoring the Security Council's demands of observance of human rights and international law, primarily in respect of women and girls, he said.

"A serious threat continues to come from Afghanistan in relation to manufacture of narcotics there, their processing and illegal deliveries into neighbouring countries," Lavrov went on to say.

"In fact, all neighbours of Afghanstan, and through them Europe and even North America, are recipients and users of heroin manufactured from Afghan opium," he said.

He said he endorsed at the briefing the chief of the UN drug control programme, Pino Arlacchi, who called for more technical assistance to Russian border guards in Tajikistan.

"Pino Arlacchi directly mentioned the need to give assistance to efforts of Russian border guards on the Tajik-Afghan border and assistance to the government of Tajikistan, among other countries bordering Afghanistan, in organisation of the anti-narcotic, anti-contraband activity," Lavrov said.