Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo seeks regional support for Afghanistan

Newswire

Kabul: NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Kabul Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has sought regional support for Afghanistan as the international forces withdraw from the war-torn country.

The NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative told a London panel that the best scenario after the Western Alliance withdraws this summer would be for the Taliban to be “part of the government, not as the government”.
He said NATO was pinning its hopes on the Taliban settling for a role in the Afghan government but not leading it, despite warnings that the state could instead cease to function as a result of the group’s continuing insurgency.

“I think that is the development that we all expect but it’s up to the regional countries to make it happen,” Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo told the Regional Powers and Post-Nato Afghanistan conference.
Leading analysts at the meeting said there was a real prospect of the Taliban seizing power within a year of western troops leaving.

A lack of consensus among the neighbouring governments – Pakistan, India, China, Russia and Iran – means that a power struggle is inevitable, the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) online seminar heard.
Ambassador Pontecorvo said that NATO would continue to fund Afghanistan with $4 billion a year, at least until 2024.