UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- A UN envoy on Tuesday stressed the need for the international community to engage with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Markus Potzel, the UN secretary-general's deputy special representative for Afghanistan, saw international engagement as the most realistic approach.
If the Taliban do not respond to the needs of all elements of Afghan society and constructively engage within the very limited window of opportunity with the international community, it is unclear what would come next, he told the Security Council in a briefing.
Further fragmentation, isolation, poverty, and internal conflict are among the likely scenarios, leading to potential mass migration and a domestic environment conducive to terrorist organizations, as well as greater misery for the Afghan population, he warned.
"That's why we have to engage. The objective of our engagement is to promote governance in Afghanistan that works to the benefit of the Afghan people and respects the norms of the global community, he said. "While success is not certain, continued qualified engagement remains the most realistic chance of achieving these objectives." ■
