UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2018) The United Nations Security Council should try to persuade the Taliban movement to respond to a ceasefire offer which has been put forward by the government of Afghanistan, Swedish deputy ambassador Carl Skau said on Wednesday.
"We must now urge the Taliban to respond to these proposals and to engage in meaningful dialogue," Skau told reporters ahead of a Security Council meeting in New York.
The Taliban earlier this week rejected Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer for a three-month ceasefire.
He noted that some members of the Council have a special influence over the Taliban and, therefore, these countries could facilitate a cessation of hostilities.
The UN Security Council is now holding a closed, informal consultations on the situation in the middle East. The situation in Afghanistan is also on the Council's agenda due to the escalating violence in the region.
Permanent Representative of the Netherlands Karel J. G. van Oosterom told reporters ahead of the meeting that he and his colleagues were going to discuss the upcoming elections in Afghanistan. The preparations for the elections remain crucial, because it is important to have credible results amid the ongoing crisis in the country, Oosterom said.
Russia has recently stepped up its efforts to broker an end to the conflict in the country, and has invited 12 countries including the United States to Moscow for talks on September 4. The United States has said that it does not intend to join the meeting.
