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Taliban seeks a spot in the United Nations
The Associated Press reported yesterday that the Taliban is attempting to inject an ambassador of their own into the United Nations (U.N.). Besides requesting a new representative, they are also vying for a chance to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The Associated Press reported yesterday that the Taliban is attempting to inject an ambassador of their own into the United Nations (U.N.). Besides requesting a new representative, they are also vying for a chance to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
Officials from the caretaker government have already submitted a request to remove the U.N. ambassador appointed by former President Ashraf Ghani, and replace him with a prolific Taliban spokesperson.
Seeking legitimacy in the United Nations
The Taliban chose Suhail Shaheen as their new ambassador, one of the two major Taliban spokesmen besides Zabiullah Mujahid. A letter addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 15, from the Taliban’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ameer Khan Muttaqi, outlined the plan for shifting away from Afghanistan’s previous diplomatic choices.
Muttaqi stated in the letter that President Ghani was “ousted” following the Taliban takeover on Aug. 15. and that nations from all over “no longer recognize him as president. By proxy, the current U.N. Ambassador for Afghanistan, Ghulam Isaczai, will also be relieved of his role.
The Taliban’s request won’t be answered to until it is thoroughly considered by the U.N. credentials committee. This committee is comprised of representatives from Bahama, Bhutan, Chile, China, Namibia, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sweden, and the United States.
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One senior U.S. State Department official told AP that the committee would “take time to deliberate,” hinting that the request for a new ambassador may extend beyond the high-level General Assembly meetings spanning over the next week.
This isn’t the first time
The Taliban also tried for a U.N. seat during their previous reign from 1996 to 2001.
Back then, the group was promptly denied any form of U.N. membership. This left the ambassadorship of that period to be determined according to the previous president, Burhanuddin Rabbani.
On their second attempt, however, the Taliban might make it beyond the screening process given the support they have from certain members on the credentials committee, such as China. With that support as a bolster, Shaheen may end up with a reserved seat at the U.N.
There is also the possibility of members on the committee using the possible ambassadorship as leverage to force the Taliban to govern adequately. Regardless of all the speculation, no decisions will be made until the credentials committee reviews the situation.
