US Wants UN Backing for Taliban Peace Deal

US resolution would endorse negotiations, deal

Looking for some international endorsement of last week’s peace deal in Afghanistan, the US has created its own draft resolution for the UN Security Council which would back the peace deal, and call on the international community to offer “sustained support.”

The UN Security Council has scheduled closed door sessions on the matter, and it’s not clear exactly when a vote will take place. Russia in particular insisted on consultations before a vote.

This Russian response is likely related to the US blocking a UN statement backing a Syria ceasefire the Russians are involved in. There may be a tit-for-tat effort here to block, or approve, both deals.

The US resolution for the UN would not only endorse the peace plan as written, but would call for the Taliban to take additional steps to reduce violence. This may irk the Taliban, as the US seems to be trying to circumvent them with this language.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.