The UN Staff Union urged Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday to consider withdrawing UN personnel from Afghanistan following the bombing of a UN voter registration site and a spate of attacks on election workers.
The union's committee on staff security called for a comprehensive review of the security situation in Afghanistan and new security measures before staff are sent back, saying "the safety of staff remains the highest priority."
"As we approach the election time, more than likely attacks will intensify," said Guy Candusso, the union's vice-president. "We think the UN should consider suspending operations and rethink security before moving into the next critical phase of the election process."
Afghan voters are scheduled to elect a president on Oct. 9 and a parliament in April.
UN associate spokesman Stephane Dujarric, asked about a possible staff withdrawal from Afghanistan, said a UN security assessment mission recently returned from the country with specific recommendations that have been approved and are in the process of being implemented.
"The overall security in Afghanistan is in the process of being upgraded, both on a management and operational level," he said. "Obviously, security is being examined on a daily basis in the country's different regions. And as in every mission, we have to tailor our activities to the security conditions."
In the latest attack targeting election workers, a series of bombs went off Thursday at a UN voter registration office in Farah City in western Afghanistan, near the border with Iraq. Six policemen were injured, two seriously, vehicles were set ablaze and windows shattered.
The blasts occurred on the first anniversary of the bombing at UN headquarters in Iraq, which killed 22 people, including top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. That attack and the subsequent investigation that criticized a "dysfunctional" UN security management system has led to a major overhaul and rethinking of UN security worldwide.
In a speech in Geneva marking the anniversary, Annan said the UN was "wrestling with wrenching, fundamental questions" about its operations at a time when its staff and blue flag may have become "one of the main targets of political violence."
"How do we operate in places like Iraq and some parts of Afghanistan, where many people want and expect us to help ... but some are determined to block our work at any price?," he asked.
In a message to UN staff in Afghanistan on Thursday's anniversary, the top UN envoy in the country, Jean Arnaut, said the magnitude of the Baghdad bombing was a reminder of the scale of the risk that the UN is facing in many of its operations today.
Annan reported to the Security Council on Tuesday that acts of violence in Afghanistan have, increasingly, been directed at the staff and offices of Afghan and UN electoral workers.
He called for an urgent increase in international security assistance, saying it was critical for the success of the electoral process.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
Pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) fraud conviction and prison sentence were yesterday overturned by a Hong Kong court, in a surprise legal decision that comes soon after Lai was jailed for 20 years on a separate national security charge. Judges Jeremy Poon (潘兆初), Anthea Pang (彭寶琴) and Derek Pang (彭偉昌) said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal from Lai, and another defendant in the case, to proceed, as a lower court judge had “erred.” “The Court of Appeal gave them leave to appeal against their conviction, allowed their appeals, quashed the convictions and set aside the sentences,” the judges
RSS