Chinese envoy warns against Afghanistan being heaven again for terrorists

Taliban fighters stand beside the belongings of Afghan security soldiers in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021. (Str/Xinhua)

"Afghanistan must never again become heaven for terrorists. This is the bottom line that must be held firmly for any future political solution in Afghanistan," a Chinese envoy said.

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday warned against Afghanistan becoming heaven again for terrorists.

In the last 20 years, terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the East Turkestan Independence Movement (ETIM) have gathered and developed in Afghanistan, posing a serious threat to international and regional peace and security, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.

"Afghanistan must never again become heaven for terrorists. This is the bottom line that must be held firmly for any future political solution in Afghanistan," he told an emergency meeting of the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.

"We hope that the Taliban in Afghanistan will earnestly deliver on their commitments and make a clean break with the terrorist organizations," he said. "All countries should fulfill their obligations in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions, work with each other in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and take resolute actions to prevent terrorist organizations such as the Islamic State, al-Qaida and the ETIM from taking advantage of this chaos (in Afghanistan)."

The situation in Afghanistan has undergone major changes. China respects the will and choice of the Afghan people. The war in Afghanistan has lasted more than 40 years. To stop the war and realize peace is the shared aspiration of the Afghan people and the common expectation of the international community and countries in the region. The pressing task at the moment is to restore peace, stability and order as soon as possible, so as to avoid casualties and large-scale refugee flows, he said.

The rights and interests of diplomatic missions and personnel in Afghanistan are inviolable. The safety and security, and interests of foreign nationals in Afghanistan must be respected and guaranteed. All parties in Afghanistan have the responsibility to protect people's lives and property. They should provide assurance for the safe residence and orderly evacuation of foreign nationals, said Geng.

China has always maintained that a political solution is the only way out for Afghanistan. At present, Afghanistan's national prospects are at a historic crossroads. China has noted the Taliban's statement on Sunday that the war in Afghanistan was over and that they would hold talks aimed at forming an open, inclusive Islamic government in Afghanistan and take responsible actions to protect the safety of Afghan citizens and foreign diplomatic missions. China hopes these commitments can be honored so as to ensure a smooth transition of the situation in Afghanistan, keep at bay all kinds of terrorism and criminal acts, and make sure that the Afghan people stay away from war and can rebuild their homeland.

China hopes the Taliban can unite with all factions and ethnic groups in Afghanistan, and build a broad-based and inclusive political structure suited to the national conditions of Afghanistan, so as to lay the foundation for achieving enduring peace in the country, he said.

The current humanitarian situation in Afghanistan is very dire. Humanitarian assistance and epidemic prevention and control are under tremendous pressure. The international community should scale up humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and its neighbors that have received a large number of displaced persons from Afghanistan to help alleviate the regional humanitarian crisis. The relevant parties should ensure that the work of international humanitarian relief agencies can continue unhindered. The international community should also continue to help Afghanistan and its neighbors to control COVID-19, he said.

The current chaos in Afghanistan is directly related to the hasty withdrawal of foreign troops, said Geng.

Relevant countries should earnestly deliver on their commitments to supporting peace, reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan and play a constructive role on the issue of Afghanistan. On the basis of respecting the leadership of Afghanistan and relevant efforts of the neighboring countries, they should continue to provide constructive assistance to Afghanistan in the political, security, development, humanitarian and anti-narcotics fields, he said.

Many council members said in their statements that they wished to see greater roles played by Afghanistan's neighbors and regional countries. China learned that some regional countries and Afghanistan's neighbors had made requests to participate in Monday's meeting. It is regrettable that their requests were rejected, said Geng.

For a long time, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has played an important role in supporting the peaceful reconstruction of Afghanistan. Given that the current situation on the ground has undergone major changes, China hopes that the UN secretary-general will make proper arrangements to ensure the safety of personnel of the UN mission. China also looks forward to the secretary-general presenting practical and actionable views and recommendations to the Security Council as soon as possible on the future UN presence in Afghanistan, he said.