'Nightmare of fratricidal conflict' reported as refugee numbers swell.

• Position: Afghanistan

In urging all Afghan leaders to "heed the overwhelming desire for peace" expressed by their people and to cooperate with the UN Special Mission in a search for a "lasting cease-fire and a fully representative political process", Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 7 September affirmed UN readiness to assist Afghanistan to "emerge from the long nightmare of fratricidal conflict and to curb unwarranted foreign interference" in its internal affairs.

In a statement following his meeting with representatives of Afghan parties and independent personalities, the Secretary-General--while on an official visit to Pakistan--also called for a moratorium on the shelling of Kabul and the opening of roads to permit resumption of delivery of urgently needed humanitarian supplies.

"The continuing hostilities and carnage in Afghanistan, long after the establishment of the Islamic State, are a matter of grave concern to me and the international community as a whole", he said. To address that concern, a UN Special Mission to Afghanistan--headed by Ambassador Mahmoud Mestiri of Tunisia--had been set up early in 1994. Regrettably, efforts to convene a joint meeting of the warring factions and leaders of the neutral parties had so far been unsuccessful, Mr. Boutros-Ghali stated. Consequently, Mr. Mestiri wanted to convene a...