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Can’t have terrorist camps again in Afghanistan, will directly impact India, says Tirumurti

While speaking at the UN headquarters Monday, envoy Tirumurti said violence is increasing in Afghanistan and noted that the situation is of deep concern to all members of the UNSC.

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United Nations: The situation in Afghanistan is of deep concern to all members of the UN Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN and President of Security Council for the month of August T S Tirumurti said, underlining that we cannot have “terrorist camps” once again going back into the war-torn country and this will have a direct impact on India.

India, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 tenure, assumed the rotating Presidency of the powerful UN organ for the month of August.

The situation in Afghanistan is of deep concern to all members of the Security Council and we have seen that in recent days, the violence is only increasing, Tirumurti said at the UN Headquarters Monday.

Briefing reporters at the UN Headquarters on the Council’s Programme of Work Monday, Tirumurti cited a UN report that said the number of casualties in Afghanistan during May-June exceeds the number between January and April.

Responding to a question on the situation in Afghanistan and what the Security Council can do to prevent further escalation in the war-torn country, Tirumurti said he expects that probably the Security Council will be looking at this aspect sooner rather than later on Afghanistan.

As far as India is concerned, he said New Delhi has mentioned very clearly that we want to see an independent, peaceful, democratic and a stable Afghanistan. India has supported every opportunity that can bring peace, security and stability in Afghanistan.

We are convinced that…we should address the question of violence and the targeted attacks and these are very serious concerns and all violence must come to an end. Ties with international terrorism should also be cut. We cannot have terrorist camps once again going back into Afghanistan. And this will have a direct impact on India, Tirumurti said.

Noting with concern that targeted killings are increasing and women, girls and minorities are being systematically targeted, Tirumurti stressed that a lasting political settlement through an inclusive Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled process is extremely important.

He underlined that it is also important for us to protect the gains which we have had in the last nearly 20 years, adding that aspirations of the Afghan women, youth and minorities must be respected.

They need a safe and democratic future. I think this is where we believe that any government that comes to power in Afghanistan has to be seen as legitimate in the eyes of the people. So consequently we cannot have the unilateral imposition of will by any party. Peaceful negotiation should be taken seriously by all the parties. The dialogue, which they are having, there is a need for that to be accelerated, Tirumurti said.

He further noted that these are concerns, which are common to all the members of the Security Council. We have supported a leading role for the UN since it will definitely help in a lasting and durable outcome to the discussions which are going on.

Tirumurti said durable peace in Afghanistan is important because the security and stability of Afghanistan have direct implications on the region itself.

Underscoring that durable peace requires a genuine double peace -peace within and around Afghanistan, Tirumurti expressed hope that whenever we start looking at this in the Security Council, which I expect sooner rather than later, that we will look into all these aspects and see how best to support the peace talks which are going on.

In response to a question on a large number of women’s rights supporters and faith leaders calling on the Security Council to authorise a peacekeeping force for Afghanistan under the Women, Peace and Security Resolution and whether this is an idea that India supports, Tirumurti said at this point of time, we are looking at how the talks shape up.

“At this point of time, we are hoping that the peace talks will yield results and we are also hoping that there will be no military solution and people are not going to have a military solution to this.

I think it’s extremely important for us to have legitimacy to anyone who comes in power. And so we don’t want a unilateral imposition of will by any particular party on Afghanistan. That is where the focus has been right now. I don’t think we have quite come to the idea of a peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.”

Whether the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was a timely and good idea, Tirumurti said he would not comment on a country’s sovereign decision. It is the prerogative of the United States to decide what they want to do and they have taken a decision. And I think it is important for us as a Security Council to ensure that we jointly support Afghanistan in bringing a democratic and stable society, which will respect women and minorities.

The US has already pulled back the majority of its forces from Afghanistan and is looking to complete the drawdown by August 31, ending nearly two-decade of its military presence in the country.

He added that there is a requirement for a certain legitimacy for the people who come to power. That is important for every, not just every member of the Security Council, but for all the neighbours or the regional countries and for all the others.

Tirumurti stressed that you cannot get this legitimacy through unilateral actions.

He said the question of a peacekeeping force in Afghanistan down the line has not been formally raised. Tirumurti said that in discussions with the Secretary-General and other top UN officials, their main concern is the safety and security of the UN mission there, especially after the recent attack on the UN’s main compound in Herat, Afghanistan.

‘India not in favour of further destablisation of Myanmar’

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN also said that any instability in Myanmar will directly affect India and New Delhi does not want action by the international community that would further destabilise the Southeast Asian country.

The Myanmar military staged a coup on February 1 this year, nullifying the results of the November 2020 elections and imposed a state of emergency after detaining hundreds of activists, civil servants and politicians, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of her National League for Democracy (NLD).

The military staged the coup amid its rising friction with the ruling NLD government over the results of the November 8 general election. The NLD had registered a thumping victory in the polls. However, the military had alleged discrepancies in the electoral process.

The democratic transition in Myanmar had taken place in 2011 after decades of military rule.

Myanmar is an extremely important neighbour for us. So what happens in Myanmar is extremely important for us and we have a direct stake in the situation in Myanmar, Tirumurti said.

India, currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2021-22 tenure, assumed the rotating Presidency of the powerful UN organ for the month of August.

In response to a question on Myanmar, Tirumurti said India’s position on Myanmar has been fairly clear and consistent.

We are deeply concerned about the developments in Myanmar. We have condemned the use of violence in Myanmar. We have urged maximum restraint. We believe that there can be no falling back on the path to democracy in Myanmar, he said.

India has called for upholding the rule of law, taking forward the democratic process, in which New Delhi has actually invested, and also called for the release of detained leaders, Tirumurti said.

We have repeatedly called for engagement from their side without preconditions and for the peaceful and urgent resolution, he said.

Tirumurti said India has extended support to the efforts of ASEAN and hopes it can move expeditiously on their efforts and also on the five-point consensus.

So, we need a constructive and also coordinated approach. What we do not want is an action on the part of the international community which will further destabilise the country because any instability in the country will directly affect India, he said.

Responding to a reporter’s question that India has rejected asylum seekers from Myanmar, Tirumurti said this is completely incorrect.

It’s completely incorrect that we are rejecting people (from Myanmar). We have several thousands of them in India, he said.

It is important to understand that India has four states that are neighbouring Myanmar, Tirumurti said, adding that In Mizoram, the ethnicity of some people is exactly the same as the ethnicity on the other side of Myanmar in the Chins, for example.

The ASEAN five-point consensus states that there shall be an immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar and all parties shall exercise utmost restraint; constructive dialogue among all parties concerned shall commence seeking a peaceful solution in the interests of the people.

It said a special envoy of the ASEAN Chair shall facilitate mediation of the dialogue process, with the assistance of the Secretary-General of ASEAN; ASEAN shall provide humanitarian assistance through the AHA Centre (ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management), and the special envoy and delegation shall visit Myanmar to meet with all parties concerned.

On whether the situation in Myanmar will be discussed in the Council during India’s Presidency, the Indian ambassador said members of the Security Council have been following the situation very closely and have had consultations, private meetings and made pronouncements on Myanmar.

The Council has also expressed strong support for the ASEAN initiative and the five-point consensus.

As far as the Security Council is concerned, they are following it very closely, he said, adding that the ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting will also happen very soon which will look at the ASEAN envoy and discuss other issues.

“We will have to give the ASEAN Initiative a fair chance. And I think the Council members understand that because we have collectively supported the ASEAN position. So, I think it’s important for us to give that space for ASEAN to go ahead and take their initiative forward.

Like India, we hope that this initiative will be expedited and that is something we will be looking forward to, Tirumurti said, adding that as of now, the Council is not yet looking at any meeting on Myanmar as such.

On a question on Palestine, he said India has been consistent in our longstanding support for the Palestinian cause and for the establishment of a sovereign, viable and independent state of Palestine living side by side in peace and security with Israel.

India believes firmly that only the two-state solution will deliver enduring peace for all Palestinians and Israelis.

This should be achieved through direct negotiations between both sides on all the final status issues. We have always stood ready to support all the efforts by our regional and international partners to restart this negotiation and the Middle East peace process because we are convinced that all of us need a just, peaceful and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Tirumurti said.

We have been in touch with both parties, and we are looking at a long-term ceasefire. The May 21 ceasefire was brought in due to concerted efforts of the international community, he said.

At this point, the Security Council’s focus has been on humanitarian aid, which they feel should be going to Gaza through the Palestinian Authority, he said, adding that, so we want to work with the Palestinian Authority on this.


Also read: The Taliban in Afghanistan has not changed. Just ask women


 

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