Lasting peace, security critical to Afghan prosperity, stability: envoy

Afghanistan's permanent envoy to the United Nations on Monday highlighted the crucial role of lasting peace and security to the country's stability and prosperity.

"Lasting peace and security is critical to building a prosperous and stable Afghanistan and to ending the vicious cycle of fragility in the country," said Zahir Tanin at an open meeting of the UN Security Council on the current situation in Afghanistan.

"This is particular true at a time when violence affects increasing number of civilians and when the crippling triple threat of terrorism, extremism, and criminality threatens to undermine the future of the Afghan people and the wider region," he noted, adding peace and reconciliation process is the first priority of the Afghan government.

"It is time for those still engaged in fighting to heed the widespread call for peace, and to play their part in building the country's future," he said.

According to him, the government of Afghanistan is determined to build an Afghanistan that is ready to stand on its own feet, take full responsibility of its own affairs and assume its rightful place as a full and equal partner of the international community.

Analysts believe that armed militancy and violent incidents are expected to rise in Afghanistan with the coming of spring when the weather gets warmer and snow begins to melt in the country.

Spring and summer have been known as "fighting season" in Afghanistan since the Taliban usually takes advantage of the fair weather in attacking the security forces and civilians groups alike. During winter, the Taliban is forced to dig in their strongholds and seldom launch anti-government activities.

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has been striving hard to initiate a face-to-face dialogue with the Taliban. His unity government is trying its best to convince the Taliban to join the political mainstream for the sake of the country which has not enjoyed peace and stability for a long time.

"We welcome the new phase of cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan towards the shared goal of peace and reconciliation," Tanin said, "It is essential to the success of the peace process and heralds a new era of relations between our two brother nations. "

"We also welcome the support of all our partners, particularly in the region and the Islamic world, and would like to express our appreciation to the People's Republic of China for its help facilitating the peace process," he added. Endite