By Janet Ekstract
NEW YORK – Since the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan to the Taliban on Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Taliban to use utmost restraint and to safeguard the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. The UN chief also emphasized that humanitarian rights must be respected and addressed.
The UN Security Council scheduled a meeting on Monday morning to discuss the current situation in Afghanistan. Guterres will report on the most recent events at the Council meeting which was called at the request of the two non-permanent Security Council members, Estonia and Norway.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement from a multitude of nations, including The European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Canada, Greece, Qatar, Micronesia, Sweden, Italy, Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Norway and a host of others – the statement offered support for the people of Afghanistan while encouraging the “safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.”
The joint statement read as follows:
Given the deteriorating security situation, we support, are working to secure, and call on all parties to respect and facilitate, the safe and orderly departure of foreign nationals and Afghans who wish to leave the country.those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan bear responsibility—and accountability—for the protection of human life and property, and for the immediate restoration of security and civil order.
Afghans and international citizens who wish to depart must be allowed to do so; roads, airports and border crossing must remain open, and calm must be maintained.
The Afghan people deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them.
