Global Policy Forum

The UN wants to stop weapons reaching the Taleban The United Nations Security Council has unanimously adopted a new resolution designed to tighten the monitoring and enforcement of sanctions against the Taleban authorities in Afghanistan. The resolution calls for monitoring teams to be based in the region and help stop weapons and other supplies being smuggled into Afghanistan, especially across the border from Pakistan.

Under the resolution, a small team of up to 15 people will be based mainly in Islamabad, with five in New York. UN sources said the team would expect to be given access to intelligence and other facilities.

'Watching eye'

While it will offer expertise, the sources said the team will mostly act as a watching eye, reporting back to UN headquarters on whether sanctions were being complied with. The resolution urges all countries to take immediate steps to prevent sanctions violations and to punish individual violators.

The panel also proposed to send international teams to the six countries bordering Afghanistan - China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - to help local officials enforce the embargo. Pakistan, which has always claimed it upholds the weapons embargo, has broadly welcomed the proposals, a sign, correspondents say, that the Pakistani authorities realise their assertions are no longer enough.

Sanctions Over bin Laden

Sanctions were stepped up two years ago after the Taleban refused to hand over the fugitive Islamic militant, Osama bin Laden.

The Taleban closed some UN missions, blew up ancient Buddhist statues and, according to reports, allowed training camps for Islamic militants to flourish. UN humanitarian workers say sanctions have made their work more difficult. But a UN survey found that war and a devastating drought had by far the greater impact on ordinary people.

The Taleban is trying to push out opposition forces, who control less than 10% of Afghan territory and are said to be getting supplies from Russia and Iran. The UN hopes an international squeeze on military supplies will force the Taleban back into talks with the international community.

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