A United Nations committee deferred on Wednesday a decision on who will be the representative for Afghanistan and Myanmar at the global agency, a resolution that will make it even harder for the Myanmar Junta and the Taliban to be recognized as legitimate governments.
The Myanmar junta and the Taliban both made rival claims for the seats of both Myanmar and Afghanistan. The decision pits the two newly formed governments against ambassadors that were previously appointed by former governments. If the UN chose to accept the claims, it would have been a step closer to being both internationally recognized.
Myanmar Junta and Taliban
The UN credentials committee, which has nine members, including Russia, China, and the United States, met at the UN headquarters to consider the credentials of all 193 members for the most recent session of the UN General Assembly.
Several diplomats said that the committee was more likely to defer its decision on the representation of Afghanistan and Myanmar. The situation was based on the understanding that the two representatives for the two countries will remain in their seats, Reuters reported.
The General Assembly's Credentials Committee chair was the one that made the announcement of the decision. In a statement, Sweden's UN Ambassador, Anna Enestrom, told reporters after a closed meeting that the committee has decided to defer its decision. The official added that they have not scheduled another meeting and did not give information on how long the issue of credentials for the countries would be deferred.
The Myanmar junta sought to replace its civilian government's ambassador to the United Nations, Kyaw Moe Tun, who had opposed the military's coup on Feb. 1 against leader Aung San Suu Kyi. in July, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin said that the junta terminated him from his position due to "abuses of his assigned duty and mandate."
The official noted that Aung Thurein, who left the military this year after serving for 26 years, was appointed to be Myanmar's UN ambassador. On the other hand, the Taliban militant group challenged the credentials of Afghanistan's ambassador from the previous government, Ghulam Isaczai.
Recognition From The UN
The militant group sought to replace Isaczai with Mohammad Suhail Shaheen who would have been the new UN permanent representative. The personnel was the previous spokesman for the Taliban during peace negotiations in Qatar, the Associated Press reported.
Both the Taliban and the Myanmar junta, which is also known as the Tatmadaw, are regarded by any international parties as being odious. However, each of the newly formed governments claims that they are the legitimate national authority of their respective countries.
The situation comes as some Taliban leaders are on the UN's sanctions list and many members of the international agency, such as Russia and the U.S., said the militant group should be judged by its actions before any decision on recognizing their government.
On the other hand, the Tatmadaw is facing similar struggles as the General Assembly voted this past June to condemn the coup amid the military's crackdown on democratic protesters, the New York Times reported.
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