Security Council Press Statement on Kabul Process

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Karel Jan Gustaaf van Oosterom (Netherlands):

The members of the Security Council welcomed the convening of the second meeting of the Kabul Process for Peace and Security Cooperation in Afghanistan on 28 February and commended the declaration agreed to by its participants.  The members of the Security Council also welcomed the offer made by the Afghan Government to the Taliban to engage in direct peace talks, and called upon the Taliban to accept this offer without any preconditions and without the threat of violence, with the aim of an ultimate political settlement that leads to sustainable peace for the people of Afghanistan.

The members of the Security Council underlined the importance of an inclusive Afghan-led and -owned peace process for the long-term prosperity and stability of Afghanistan and expressed their full support for the Afghan Government’s commitment to developing a practical plan for reconciliation.  The members of the Security Council welcomed that participants of the meeting recognized the Kabul Process as a forum and vehicle under the leadership of the Afghan Government to lead peace efforts to end violence in Afghanistan.  The Kabul Process must lead to the renunciation of violence and breaking of all ties to international terrorism, as well as the respect for the equal rights of all Afghans, including women, under the Afghan Constitution.

The members of the Security Council also welcomed ongoing international efforts to advance peace and stability in Afghanistan.  The members of the Security Council recalled that, as mandated by Security Council resolution 2405 (2018), the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General stand ready to provide their good offices to support the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process, if requested by and in close consultation with the Afghan Government.