UN and Afghanistan’s Taliban, figuring out how to interact

By AYA BATRAWY
Associated Press

The Taliban want a seat at the United Nations and international recognition of their rule over Afghanistan. The group has asked to speak this Monday at the U.N. General Assembly as Afghanistan’s representatives. The U.N. can withhold or bestow formal acknowledgement of the Taliban, and use this crucial leverage to exact assurances on human rights and other issues. This is where the power of the 75-year-old body still holds. The U.N. can also deploy the weight of its vast aid and development programs to show just how crucial its underfunded agencies are in providing stability and security. It can also facilitate negotiations on Afghanistan because its stability impacts the region.