The United Nations announced, on Friday, that the representative of Afghanistan to it, Ambassador Ghulam Ishaqzai , will deliver his country’s address to the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
This came according to Stephane Dujarric , spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at a press conference held at the UN headquarters in New York.
Dujarric said, “The representative of Afghanistan, Ambassador Ghulam Ishaqzai, will be on the list of speakers before the United Nations General Assembly next Monday, representing Afghanistan.”
On Tuesday, the United Nations confirmed that Guterres had received an official letter from the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in which he called for participation in the work of the 76th session of the General Assembly, currently being held in New York.
Diplomatic sources at the United Nations Secretariat said that Guterres received a letter in this regard entitled “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs” and dated September 20.
The letter also included a paragraph referring to “the termination of the mission of the permanent representative, Ghulam Ishaqzai, who is no longer representing Afghanistan.”
The international rules in force at the United Nations require that Ambassador Ghulam Eshaki continue to perform his duties until the matter is decided upon through a decision taken by the Credentials Committee of the 76th session of the General Assembly, which is scheduled to be held early next week.
The Accreditation Committee consists of 9 UN member states: the United States, Russia, China, Sweden, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Chile, Bhutan and the Bahamas.
In a related context, Dujarric said in a statement seen by The Eastern Herald correspondent, that Guterres discussed Friday, with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the developments in Afghanistan.
The statement added, “During the meeting, the Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for Pakistan’s support for the work of the United Nations, particularly in its successful presidency of the Economic and Social Council and the United Nations peace operations.”
And he added: “The Secretary-General and the Minister of Foreign Affairs exchanged views on developments in the region and other issues of common concern, especially Afghanistan.”
In mid-August, the Taliban managed to take control of Afghanistan, coinciding with the completion of the US withdrawal from the country at the end of the same month.
