UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2721 on Dec. 29, encouraging United Nations Member States and other stakeholders to consider the Afghanistan Independent Assessment Report and urging the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to facilitate the implementation of the report's recommendations. In his explanatory remarks after the vote, Geng Shuang, deputy permanent representative of China to the United Nations, said that China hopes that the Secretary-General will prudently handle the issue of appointing a special envoy.
Geng Shuang said that in March this year, the Security Council authorized the UN Secretary-General to conduct an independent assessment to promote the international community's coordinated positions and actions on the Afghan issue. China has always maintained that when dealing with hotspot issues, the actions taken by the Security Council and the Secretary-General, including the appointment of special envoys, should be fully communicated with the countries concerned and their views respected. Therefore, China believes that the Security Council's follow-up to the independent assessment should also be in full communication with the Afghan authorities, respect their views, and take a decision after extensive consultations with all stakeholders. If the appointment of a special envoy is forcibly promoted regardless of the wishes of the countries concerned, it may lead to the fact that the special envoy will not be able to carry out his work at all, and may also exacerbate the contradictions and confrontations between the international community and the Afghan authorities. This is completely contrary to the independent assessment's signal of intensified constructive engagement with the Afghan authorities.
Geng Shuang said: At present, there are still differences among the members of the Security Council on the follow-up implementation of the assessment report, and the Afghan authorities still have reservations about some of the recommendations. In such a situation, forcing the Council to adopt a resolution appears hasty and may be counterproductive. During the consultations on the draft resolution, China and Russia expressed the above-mentioned concerns and proposed constructive amendments to the relevant issues, but they were not adopted. China deeply regrets this and had to abstain in the voting.
Geng Shuang said: The Chinese side hopes that the secretary general will prudently handle the issue of appointing a special envoy in the next stage, continue to strengthen communication and interaction with the Afghan authorities, and strive to find a proper solution. The history of Afghanistan over the past 20 years has repeatedly proven that an externally imposed solution will only lead to failure. The true settlement of the Afghan issue ultimately lies with the Afghan people themselves, and the international community should carry out effective communication and contacts with the Afghan authorities in this process and provide constructive support and assistance. (ENDS).