Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Secretary General of the United Nations (PBB) Antonio Guterres calls for international engagement to get in touch Taliban.
“It is very important to engage with the Taliban at this time,” Guterres said on the sidelines of a high-level conference on aid for Afghanistan on Monday (13/9), quoted by AFP.
According to Guterres, dealing with the Taliban can prevent an economic collapse in Afghanistan.
“It is impossible to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan without involving the de facto (Taliban) authorities,” Guterres said.
A number of countries have previously said they do not want to engage directly with the Taliban for fear of rights abuses. However, Guterres says this is the wrong approach.
“I don’t think that if a country’s de facto authorities behave badly, the solution is to carry out collective punishment on its people,” Guterres said.
Instead, he suggested direct engagement with the Taliban, including aid deliveries, could help push Afghanistan’s new authorities to better respect human rights.
“It is important to launch a strong humanitarian aid program and use it as leverage to (engage) with the Taliban,” Guterres said.
At the summit on aid for Afghanistan, Guterres appealed to countries around the world to provide assistance to Afghans.
The UN is seeking to raise US$606 million. These funds are estimated to be sufficient to save millions of Afghans within the next four months.
The money is needed for essential food and livelihood assistance for nearly 11 million people and health services for 3.4 million people.
“Afghans need saviors,” Guterres said.
(ptj)
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