Ruud Lubbers, a former Dutch prime minister who is the United Nations’ top official for refugees, made the demands in a meeting Tuesday with the Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Salam Zaeef. It was the first meeting between the Taliban and a senior international official since the U.S.-led bombing of Afghanistan started Oct. 7.
The meeting was spurred in part by looting and armed attacks on UN offices and other international humanitarian operations since the U.S. military campaign started. Aid groups blame the Taliban and other armed bands.
After local aid workers were beaten, the United Nations directed Afghan staffers last week to give up trying to defend UN property.
Lubbers ticked off his points to the Taliban in a news conference beforehand: “Don’t loot our property is the first. Respect our people — don’t threaten them and let them do our work. And thirdly . . . don’t destroy our network.”
In the meeting, the UN refugee chief asked that the Taliban respect UN staffers, property and programs, according to refugee agency spokesman Peter Kessler.
Lubbers also asked for the return of stolen assets, including vehicles. Taliban fighters reportedly have been seen riding in commandeered UN vehicles in some cities.
Lubbers emphasized to Zaeef the need for safe access for aid workers, Kessler said.
In response, Zaeef pledged to do his best to see that UN workers and property are protected, Kessler said.
Zaeef and Lubbers also agreed on the importance of providing food and help to civilians within Afghanistan, thereby stemming the flow of refugees to surrounding countries.
The UN still has about 170 Afghan workers on the job in Afghanistan, Lubbers said.
Lubbers is touring the region trying to lessen the hardships of the comparatively few refugees who have made it out of Afghanistan and the many more weathering out the U.S. air strikes inside.
Neighboring Iran and Pakistan already hold millions of Afghan refugees from two previous decades of conflict there — and both have closed their borders to more. In an earlier meeting Tuesday, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf urged that as much as possible be done for displaced Afghans within Afghanistan itself.
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