Terrorist Threats in Afghanistan Remain Serious, Says Chinese Deputy Envoy To UN
Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, warned that the terrorist threats in Afghanistan "remain serious".
China's Xinhua news agency quoted Shuang as saying that the international community must resolutely prevent Afghanistan from becoming a hub for terrorist organisations.
This request comes while the UN Security Council recently renewed the mandate of monitoring team sanctions against the Taliban.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council unanimously approved the resolution of the 15-member body to continue the 1988 sanctions against the Taliban. The Taliban will remain under UN sanctions for another year. However, the exemption of several Taliban leaders from the travel ban has not been extended.
China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations has said that as stated in the preamble of the resolution, the Security Council must ensure that the sanctions effectively promote peace and stability in Afghanistan.
However, he added that considering the current situation, China believes that the Security Council should facilitate pragmatic engagement between the international community and Taliban by making timely adjustments to the sanctions and to avoid negative impact on the livelihood of the Afghan people and the development of this country.
According to him, in the first step, the Security Council should consider exemptions from sanctions regarding the travel of some Taliban officials as soon as possible.
“China has always maintained that the travel exemptions are a necessary tool that facilitates dialogue and engagement and that they should not be taken as a bargaining chip for pressure,” said Shuang.
