Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo urges peace in Afghanistan
Newswire
Kabul: NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has urged peace in Afghanistan.
He said peace in Afghanistan will be beneficial not only for the country for the region.
The envoy cited the US, EU, NATO joint statement, released this week, urging halt in fighting in Afghanistan
The countries in their discussion on Afghanistan said that they were closely monitoring the situation in the country and called for a halt in the fighting stating that the conflict does not have a military solution, The Khaama Press reported citing the US-Europe Communique on Afghanistan.
Special Representatives and Special Envoys of the US, the EU, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the UK met in Rome on July 22 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and the developments in peace negotiations after the fresh round of talks in Doha between Taliban and the High Peace Council for Reconciliation led by Abdullah-Abdullah.
The communique also called on all parties to reduce violence and protect civilians, respecting their obligations under international humanitarian law.
The US and EU nations called for an immediate ceasefire. They appealed to the Taliban and the Afghan government to sit down and work out a negotiated settlement.
They also urged the Taliban to reduce violence, uphold their commitments to protect Afghanistan’s infrastructure, protect civilians and cooperate on humanitarian assistance, particularly as the Afghan people suffer acutely from the effects of COVID-19 and drought, in addition to violence.
The five elements of the joint communique include inclusive governance; the right to elect political leaders; protections for human rights, including rights of women, youth, and minorities; commitments on counter-terrorism, including to ensure that Afghanistan does not again serve as a safe haven for terrorists; and adherence to international law, including international humanitarian law.
Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said peace was the destiny of the Afghan people who had sacrificed so much in the long war period.
