Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar (BAKHTAR)
Kabul (UNA-OIC) – Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar met here on Tuesday with United Nations Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons.
During the meeting, Atmar discussed with Ms. Lyons the current developments in Afghanistan, peace talks, rising Taliban attacks on cities, violation of human rights by the Taliban, and the group’s crimes against humanity.
The foreign minister strongly condemned the Taliban attack on the office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in Herat province and expressed concern over the escalation of the group’s attacks on populated cities and centers.
He described the Taliban crimes against humanity as intolerable, calling on the international community to prosecute the perpetrators of these war crimes through international arrangements and mechanisms.
Atmar also emphasized the role of international institutions, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), in investigating, documenting, and punishing perpetrators of recent war crimes in Afghanistan.
The minister noted that the priority of the Afghan people and government is an immediate ceasefire and reaching a comprehensive peace agreement. He urged the UN and international community to exert maximum pressure on the Taliban to stop killing Afghan people and to agree to a political solution.
On her part, Lyons thanked the Afghan security forces for their timely support and response to curb Taliban attacks on the UN Mission in Herat province. She expressed grave concern over the escalation of Taliban attacks on cities and killing innocent people.
The Special Envoy also termed the high level of civilian casualties and potential threats to employees of humanitarian and international organizations as serious causes of failure of humanitarian aid and development projects, stressing the need to stop it immediately.
