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STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN
TRT: 01:58
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / CHINESE / NATS
DATELINE: 17 SEPTEMBER 2019, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters
17 SEPTEMBER 2019, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Various shots, Council vote
4. Med shot, US Ambassador Kelly Craft at the dais
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“This mandate renewal empowers the mission to support elections, facilitate peace and reconciliation efforts, and promote good governance and human rights. However, I should note that the reason we cannot empower the mission with a stronger substantive mandate today, is a member’s insistence on language that highlights national political priorities rather than ways in which we can most effectively assist the people and government of Afghanistan.”
6. Med shot, China Ambassador Zhang Jun at the dais
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations:
“To our regret, a few countries refused to keep the text of consensus previously agreed and refuse to accommodate concerns of the parties. And the draft also failed to address a possible security vacuum in Afghanistan. All this led to serious division among the parties.”
8. Med shot, delegates
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Adela Raz, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations:
“This signifies the Council’s support for Afghanistan at a time when the people of Afghanistan are entering a new and a crucially important phase of their long-standing effort to achieve peace and prosperity. On September 28th our people will vote in the upcoming presidential election, and yet again prove their everlasting commitment to consolidate democracy as a key imperative for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
10. Med shot, delegate
11. Zoom out, Council
After difficult negotiations, the Security Council today (16 Sep) unanimously renewed the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Two drafts were debated in recent days, one produced by Afghanistan, Germany and Indonesia, and a competing text put forward by China.
After the vote, US Ambassador Kelly Craft said the mandate renewal “empowers the mission to support elections, facilitate peace and reconciliation efforts, and promote good governance and human rights.”
However, she noted “the reason we cannot empower the mission with a stronger substantive mandate today, is a member’s insistence on language that highlights national political priorities rather than ways in which we can most effectively assist the people and government of Afghanistan.”
For his part, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun said, “to our regret, a few countries refused to keep the text of consensus previously agreed and refuse to accommodate concerns of the parties. And the draft also failed to address a possible security vacuum in Afghanistan. All this led to serious division among the parties.”
In her address to the Council, Afghan Ambassador Adela Raz said the renewal of the mandate “signifies the Council’s support for Afghanistan at a time when the people of Afghanistan are entering a new and a crucially important phase of their long-standing effort to achieve peace and prosperity.” On September 28th our people will vote in the upcoming presidential election, and yet again prove their everlasting commitment to consolidate democracy as a key imperative for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
She said that presidential elections scheduled for 28 September will prove the Afghan people’s “everlasting commitment to consolidate democracy as a key imperative for a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.”
