US seeks UN backing for Taliban peace deal

The United States has called for a Tuesday vote at the UN Security Council to endorse Washington's deal with the Taliban that was meant to pave the way to peace in Afghanistan, diplomats said.

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The US military has begun withdrawing troops as part of the pullout agreed in the February 29 agreement with the Taliban.

The request for a UN vote came after hard negotiations that began one week ago, diplomats said Monday.

China requested in the last draft, already revised three times, that the resolution mention "regional cooperation," the sources told the media.

The resolution comes amid a series of institutional crises in Afghanistan, following the double swearing-in Monday of President Ashraf Ghani and his rival and former chief executive Abdullah Abduallah, both of whom claimed victory in the recent presidential election.

Taliban delegate members arrive to the signing of a US-Taliban agreement in Doha. File photo/AFP

According to the draft text seen by AFP, the Security Council "urges the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to advance the peace process, including by participating in intra-Afghan negotiations through a diverse and inclusive negotiating team composed of Afghan political and civil society leaders, including women."

The US's request that the Security Council adjust its agreement with the Taliban is a rare move in the forum for an accord between a foreign country and an insurgent group, diplomats said.

Diplomats were also surprised that the agreement included two secret appendices on the fight against terrorism that Council members must approve without even knowing what they say. One diplomat described it as "unbelievable."

Agence France-Presse