New York, Sept. 26 (BUS): The Taliban is not expected to appear at the United Nations General Assembly this week, despite being asked to speak during an event usually marked by statements by most world leaders.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the representative officially registered to speak on behalf of the country is former Afghan government envoy Ghulam Isakzai.
The Afghan government fell last month, as the Taliban seized power following the withdrawal of NATO and US forces, reports the German news agency dpa.
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Taliban applied to represent the country officially on the UN platform, whether through a speech at the ongoing public debate or by nominating their own ambassador to replace Isakzai.
The decision on the representation of Afghanistan is now up to the United Nations Credentials Committee. So far, the committee has not held a specific meeting, so the current Afghan ambassador has remained in his post until now.
The committee includes nine member states of the United Nations: the United States, Russia, China, Sweden, Namibia, the Bahamas, Bhutan, Sierra Leone and Chile.
The Taliban are now considered the de facto rulers of Afghanistan by the United States, Germany and other countries – but they are not yet recognized as the legitimate government.