The latest proposal on the table would allow just six officials to travel for diplomatic reasons
\nNew York
\nThe United Nations is set to end travel ban exemptions for 13 Taliban officials Friday, pending any deal by Security Council members on a possible extension, diplomats told AFP.
\nUnder a 2011 UN Security Council resolution, 135 Taliban officials are subject to sanctions that include asset freezes and travel bans.
\nBut 13 of them were granted exemptions from the travel ban to allow them to meet officials from other countries abroad.
\nIn June, the 15-member UN Security Council\u2019s Afghanistan Sanctions Committee removed two Taliban
\nIn June, the 15-member UN Security Council\u2019s Afghanistan Sanctions Committee removed two Taliban education ministers from the exemption list over the regime\u2019s curtailment of women\u2019s rights.
\nAt the same time, they renewed the exemption for the others until August 19, plus a further month if no member objected.
\nIreland objected this week, according to diplomatic sources.
\nChina and Russia have called for an extension, while the United States has sought a reduced list of the officials allowed to travel and the destinations they can travel to.
\nThe latest proposal on the table would allow just six officials to travel for diplomatic reasons, diplomatic sources told AFP.
\nIf no member of the Council objects by Monday afternoon, it will come into force for three months.
\nIn the meantime, the exemptions for the 13 officials end at midnight on Friday.
\nAmong the 13 are Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai.
\nThey were instrumental in negotiations with the US government of then-president Donald Trump which led to a deal in 2020 paving the way for America\u2019s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
\nA spokesperson for the Chinese mission at the UN, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, this week called the Western position linking the travel ban to human rights \u201ccounterproductive.\u201d
\nThe exemptions are \u201cneeded as much as ever,\u201d the spokesperson said, adding that if reimposing a travel ban is all other members of the Council want to do, \u201cclearly they have learned no lessons at all.\u201d
\nDespite their promises to be more flexible after they seized power in August last year, the Taliban have largely reverted to the strict rule that characterised their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
\nIn particular, they have severely restricted the rights and freedoms of girls and women, calling for them to don burkas, effectively halting girls\u2019 education and systematically removing women from Afghan workplaces.
\nNo country has so far recognised the government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The latest proposal on the table would allow just six officials to travel for diplomatic reasons New York The United Nations is set to end travel ban exemptions for 13 Taliban officials Friday, pending any deal by Security Council members on a possible extension, diplomats told AFP. Under a 2011 UN Security Council resolution, 135 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278570,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-278556","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n