Taliban request to address UN General Assembly, name Suhail Shaheen as UN ambassador

United Nations: The Taliban have requested to address the UN General Assembly and named their Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as Afghanistan's UN ambassador.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a communication on September 20 with the letterhead “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” signed by “Ameer Khan Muttaqi” as “Minister of Foreign Affairs,” requesting to participate in the UN gathering of world leaders.

Muttaqi said in the letter that former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani was “ousted” as of August 15 and that countries across the world “no longer recognise him as president,” and therefore the currently accredited Afghan Ambassador, Ghulam Isaczai, no longer represents Afghanistan, according to reports.

The Taliban said it was nominating a new UN permanent representative, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, the UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

In cases of disputes over seats at the United Nations, the General Assembly’s nine-member Credentials Committee must meet to make a decision.

Both letters have been sent to the committee, Dujarric said. “No meeting of the credentials committee has been scheduled so far,” UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. Afghanistan is scheduled to give the last speech on the final day of the high-level meeting on September 27. (UNI)