Situation in Mazar-e-Sharif improving: U.N.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 24. The United Nations has said that the security situation in the key Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif is ``fragile but improving'', paving the way for the return of international relief personnel.

Reporting the findings of a seven-member assessment team which visited the city on Thursday, the U.N. said all U.N. offices in Mazar - except for the one belonging to the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - had been rendered non-functional because of looting.

All U.N. vehicles had also been taken. Despite these difficulties, ``the team held talks with Gen. Abdurrashid Dostum of the Northern Alliance and other officials there on the progressive return of U.N. personnel.''

The mission also raised concern about the protection of civilians and the condition of the internally displaced in Mazar, ``reminding the authorities that the eyes of the world are on them right now,'' he said.

Meanwhile, U.N. officials in Kabul and Islamabad expressed their ``deep concern'' at the situation in Kunduz, stressing that a negotiated arrangement for the surrender of the Taliban forces - if they wished to do so - would save both sides from further bloodletting. It would also allow the U.N. and its partners to revive the much-needed humanitarian assistance efforts in the area.

The officials said that under international humanitarian law and U.N. human rights conventions, members of armed forces who laid down their arms were entitled to be treated humanely, without any adverse distinctions based on race, colour, religion or other such criteria.

In another development, UNICEF announced that its executive director, Ms. Carol Bellamy, would visit Afghanistan and Pakistan to survey the difficult conditions facing millions of children stricken by drought, displacement, disease and conflict.

Ms. Bellamy said her trip would emphasise the critical role of children in the future development of Afghanistan. ``With winter arriving in Afghanistan at the same time as a new set of political circumstances come into view, this is a crucial time''.

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