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Kuwait hails UNAMA's efforts to bring stability to Afghanistan

UN headquarter Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi
UN headquarter Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi
NEW YORK, June 20 (KUNA) -- Kuwait hailed the efforts of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) to bring stability to the war-torn country.
Kuwait's Permanent Representative at the UN headquarter in New York Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi made the remarks, during the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) session on Afghanistan late Wednesday.
Al-Otaibi, who chaired the session as part of Kuwait's leaderhsip of the UNSC in June, also hailed the efforts of NGOs and other organizations in protecting human rights and fighting corruption in Afghanistan.
He renewed his congratulations for the Afghan people on electing their first parliament since 2011. He hoped the country would continue its step towards democracy through holding presidential elections in September 2019.
Meanwhile, the ambassador expressed Kuwait's concern over the unstable security conditions in the country, due to the ongoing fight between the Afghan security forces and other opposition forces.
He noted that despite the drop in the number of civilian victims compared to the same time-period last year, as a result of less terrorist attacks by 72 percent, the ongoing fight caused about 3,200 armed attacks.
Al-Otaibi called on all factions to put aside their differences and unite to face the attacks executed by Taliban and the so-called Islamic State (IS) on innocent civilians, and commit to the articles of the International humanitarian law.
The ambassador also spoke of the political reconciliation in Afghanistan, noting that the country had taken positive steps by holding meetings with different countries to boost the process.
As for the humanitarian side, Kuwait is continuously providing aid to displaced Afghans, affected by violence and natural disasters. These conditions left over 110,000 people homeless between January 1st, 2019 and May 16 2019, with 58 percent being children, he said. (end) ag