UN Team Holds Talks With Top Afghan Officials

Visiting Security Council Team Holds Talks With Top Afghan Officials

New York, Nov 25 2008 2:10PM

Members of the Security Council continued their visit to Afghanistan today by meeting with President Hamid Karzai and his Cabinet, as well as other senior national and international officials, as part of their efforts to assess the country’s progress in nation building.

The team, led by Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata of Italy, also met today with the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission.

The delegation’s itinerary also included talks with officials of the Security Council-authorized International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), as well as the Senior Civilian Representative of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Council members will focus on several issues during their four-day visit, including enhancing cooperation between ISAF and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), collaboration on humanitarian and human rights issues, and support for the electoral process.

“The Security Council mission will continue to hold meetings this week to assess the humanitarian situation and how the international community is working with Afghan institutions, to ensure that Afghan needs are being properly answered,” UN spokesperson Michele Montas told reporters in New York.

The Security Council’s previous visit to Afghanistan was in November 2006.

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