On
Afghanistan US Pompeo Happy Talk
With Ghani Hours
Before SOTU
By Matthew
Russell Lee, CJR Letter
PFT, Scope
UNITED NATIONS
GATE, February 5 – Amid
multiple reports that Zalmay
Khalilzad would emerge from
retirement to become US
Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo's Afghanistan envoy,
Inner City Press recently banned
from the UN after 10 years of
coverage, as it reports on
Secretary General Antonio
Guterres' conflicts
of interest for example
on China Energy Fund Committee
and on Cameroon, looked back,
see below. Now on February
5, this from US State
Department Deputy Spokesperson
Robert Palladino: "Robert
Palladino: Secretary
Michael R. Pompeo spoke today
with Afghanistan’s President
Ghani to reaffirm the U.S.
commitment to achieving a
lasting peace in
Afghanistan. The
Secretary underscored Special
Representative for Afghanistan
Reconciliation Zalmay
Khalilzad’s role in
facilitating an inclusive
peace process. The
Secretary also emphasized the
importance of an intra-Afghan
dialogue and the role of a
ceasefire in ending the
violence and creating the
conditions for the Afghan
government, other Afghan
leaders and the Taliban to sit
together and negotiate a
political settlement.
Finally, the Secretary
emphasized the important gains
made by the Afghan people
since 2001 and U.S. desire for
a long-term partnership with
Afghanistan." On
November 20,
after UNSG
Guterres
ignored Press
questions and
got into his
(or you)
Mercedes after
a long lunch,
Periscope
video here,
he put out a
hard to take
at face value
statement on
Afghanistan,
below. Back
on December 2 from the US
State Department, this:
"Special Representative for
Afghanistan Reconciliation
Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad
will travel to Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Russia,
Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan,
Belgium, the United Arab
Emirates, and Qatar with an
interagency delegation from
December 2 – 20. He will
meet with Afghan government
officials and other interested
parties to support and
facilitate an inclusive peace
process in Afghanistan,
empowering the Afghan people
to decide their nation’s
fate. Special
Representative Khalilzad will
be in communication with
President Ghani, Chief
Executive Abdullah, and other
Afghan stakeholders to
coordinate closely on efforts
to bring the Taliban to the
negotiating table with the
Afghan government and other
Afghans.
On his last trip to the region
in November, Special
Representative Khalilzad met
with men and women active in
civil society and peace
efforts, members of the media,
and other governmental and
non-governmental officials. He
stressed that all Afghans must
have a say in creating a
sustainable peace for
Afghanistan. The United
States remains committed to
supporting the Afghan people’s
desire for peace, and to
facilitating a political
settlement between the Afghan
government and the Taliban
that ensures Afghanistan never
serves as a platform for
international terrorism
again." Back in November,
Guterres said or had written
for him this: "The
Secretary-General strongly
condemns today’s attack
targeting Afghans gathered in
Kabul to celebrate a day of
special religious
significance. The
deliberate targeting of
civilians is a clear violation
of international humanitarian
law. Every effort should be
made to bring perpetrators to
justice.The Secretary-General
extends his deepest sympathy
and condolences to the
families of the victims and
the Government of
Afghanistan. He wishes a
speedy recovery to those
injured." Must have been some
lunch. Meanwhile former UN
offiical Helen Clark on 19
November 2018 criticized
Guterres' exclusion from the
UN, Vine here. But does
Guterres care? Can he hear,
inside his Mercedes?
***
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