Iran UN Envoy Hails Rejection of Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan

Addressing the 40th Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly, entitled “The Situation in Afghanistan”, Majid Takht Ravanchi praised the Afghan government’s positive approach to peace talks with the Taliban.

The Iranian diplomat also welcomed the progress made in the peace talks and expressed Iran’s preparedness to play a more active role to help its success in coordination with the UN, Press TV reported.

“A sustainable peace in Afghanistan should not be imposed from abroad,” he said, adding that the peace talks are not expected to resolve all the problems of the past decades overnight.

“All foreign players must avoid interfering in the peace talks that must be facilitated by the UN. In this regard, we welcome the General Assembly’s call for further UN interaction in the peace process,” Takht Ravanchi added.

The Iranian envoy said despite the beginning of peace talks, the security situation in Afghanistan is still worrying, as the number of attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure including educational and diplomatic centers is on the rise.

“We strongly condemn all these attacks, most of which are carried out by terrorist groups, especially Daesh whose elements are still being transferred from Syria and Iraq to Afghanistan,” he added.

The Iranian ambassador expressed regret that the opposition of certain Western countries made it impossible to include an independent paragraph in a resolution about the threats posed by Daesh (ISIS) in Afghanistan, even though the group’s presence is a serious danger for the security of Afghanistan and the region.

Iran’s support for the General Assembly’s call for the preservation of the constitution and its rejection of the restoration of “the Islamic Emirate” does not mean that Tehran acknowledges or agrees with the continued presence or activities of foreign forces in Afghanistan, Takht Ravanchi stated.

Violence continues in Afghanistan even as the Kabul government negotiators and the Taliban have been meeting in Qatar to reach a peace deal. Little progress has been made in meetings between the two sides since the talks started on September 12.

The United Nations has already warned that it is alarmed by the steep increase in the number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan and a “striking deterioration” in the security situation.