The National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib on Monday addressed the United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan’s situation, where he stressed the need for bringing peace to the country but he added that the country’s Constitution and other values must be supported in this process.  

Mohib said that “peace with the Taliban would not mean an end to the threat of global terrorism” and that “Afghan forces will remain committed to fighting terrorism but this responsibility does not belong solely to Afghanistan. 

“It is a long-term global threat which requires sustained global response,” he said.  

Mohib said that peace is imperative and needed urgently, but not at any cost. “The Constitution must be respected, as well as the democratic state and elected government it constitutes,” he added.  

He said the peace process must be inclusive and representative of the new Afghanistan, not a deal made between elites.

He said the Afghan government will convene a consultative Loya Jirga this spring which will further bond the collective voice of Afghans. “This will be followed by the third Kabul Process Conference, where we will be looking practically at implementing a post-peace plan,” he added. 

“Two years ago, peace was not part of the vocabulary when one spoke of Afghanistan. The National Unity Government made it a priority and took risks for peace, and today it is something we are working toward,” he said, referring to the Afghan government’s efforts for peace over the past five years.  

He said the Afghan government and the Afghan people have made commitments to peace. “Now it is up to the Taliban to prove their commitment. They have so far failed to seize opportunities for peace. Yet we stand ready to engage in direct talks,” he added. 

Mohib called on Afghanistan’s international partners to see the country as a platform for regional and global cooperation, “not just for mutual economic benefit but also for shared objectives for peace and stability”.

Addressing the meeting, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Tadamichi Yamamoto, called on the Taliban to directly talk with the Afghan government.

He said the United Nations supports all efforts for peace and that the UN stresses the need for intra-Afghan talks. 

Yamamoto added that the Afghan women must be supported as they are concerned about losing the achievements of the past years in the peace process.

He said that the election commissions should work to rebuild public process in the elections process and that all candidates should respect the independence of the two commissions.

“The United Nations will continue its cooperation with Afghan election commissions to hold transparent and fair polls,” he added. 

Poppy cultivation remains a threat to the country’s security, Yamamoto said, adding that this problem should be addressed by Afghanistan and the regional countries as a shared responsibility.