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Security Council members warn that Afghanistan's instability could spread to region
23 August -- Members of the United Nations Security Council today expressed grave concern at the continued armed conflict in Afghanistan and agreed there was a "growing risk of greater internationalization of the problem."

"There is a real danger that the Afghan territory is being used as a base to destabilize other countries in the region," Council President Agam Hasmy of Malaysia told reporters in New York following a closed-door briefing on the issue. He said Council members were disturbed by incidents of extremists and terrorists from Afghan territory entering three Central Asian States.

The members recalled repeated demands in Council resolutions that the parties, particularly the Taliban, stop fighting and resume the negotiations under UN auspices without further delay or preconditions. "They reiterated the call for all Afghan parties to work together for peace and the establishment of a broad-based, multiethnic and fully representative Government," Ambassador Hasmy said.

Council members said the "continuing disregard by the Taliban" of demands made in its relevant resolutions was "totally unacceptable," particularly with respect to resolution 1267 (1999), which imposed sanctions on the Taliban pending its hand-over of indicted terrorist Usama bin Laden. They confirmed their determination to ensure the Taliban's full compliance with its obligations under these Security Council resolutions.

Members of the Council also expressed grave concern at the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in Afghanistan, according to Ambassador Hasmy. "They insisted that all parties took responsibility for the safety and security of the civilian population and of humanitarian personnel in areas of Afghanistan under their control, as well as in areas of conflict, and urged in particular the Taliban to remove restrictions imposed on the work of humanitarian organizations," he said.

Council members strongly condemned the recent killing of seven demining workers working under UN auspices and called on the Taliban authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. In addition, Ambassador Hasmy said, the members were disturbed by the alarming increase in the cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs in and from Afghanistan.

During their closed-door consultations, Council members heard a briefing by the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Danilo Turk, on the recent outbreak of large-scale fighting between the Taliban and the United Front in north-eastern Afghanistan, the worsening humanitarian situation following the severe drought, and the Taliban edict banning female Afghans from employment with aid agencies outside the health sector.

According to a UN spokesman, Mr. Turk also mentioned recent diplomatic efforts by the Secretary-General's Personal Representative, Francesc Vendrell, who has visited five of Afghanistan's neighbouring countries in recent weeks.

Next month the "Six plus Two" informal group intends to hold a high-level meeting to discuss a comprehensive regional action plan to deal with illicit drugs emanating from Afghanistan, the spokesman told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. That group includes the six neighbouring countries surrounding Afghanistan (China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), plus the United States and Russia.