Intention of US, USSR to discontinue weapons deliveries to all Afghan side welcome.

• Position: United Nations and Afghanistan

Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar on 13 September welcomed the announcement in Moscow by the Soviet Union and the United States of their intention to discontinue weapons deliveries to all Afghan sides, effective 1 January 1992.

Such a decision, he said, represented a major contribution towards implementing a key provision of his 21 May 1991 five-point statement, which suggested elements of a political settlement of the Afghan problem that could bring stability to Afghanistan.

The decision, he stated, would also give impetus to current efforts to achieve a political solution. All others concerned should take similar action in that direction, the Secretary-General urged.

Afghan Prime Minister Fazl-Ul Haq Khaliqyar in 25 September in New York said that the joint decision strengthened hopes for peace in Afghanistan. He expected that other countries involved in the conflict would also end the arms supply, as discontinuation by the USSR and the United States was not enough to bring about peace. The UN, he suggested, might set up a monitoring mechanism on Afghanistan's borders with the Soviet Union, Pakistan and Iran to control weapons shipments.

Islamabad meeting

On 30 July, following a two-day meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, a joint declaration was issued by Iran's Foreign Minister, Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Secretary-General and leaders of the Afghan Mujahideen parties, stating there were "positive elements" in the 21 May statement. "After necessary clarifications", the statement could be considered for a comprehensive solution acceptable to Afghans.

The declaration also stated that any solution should lead to the replacement of the "present illegal Government in Kabul" and the establishment of an elected Islamic Government acceptable to Afghans. The Mujahideen parties envisaged a future Afghanistan to be "Islamic, non-aligned, an abode of peace and an important contributor to tranquility and stability of the region, committed to a policy of mutual friendship and cooperation with its neighbours".

From 10 to 13 September in Teheran, the Secretary-General met with Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani and Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Velayati, during which time he reviewed the Afghanistan situation.

He also met with leaders of Mujahideen groups based in Peshawar, Sibghatullah Mujadidi and Pir Sayed Ahmed Gailani, as well as with the leader of the Iran-based Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, Hajatoislam Rahmutullah Mortazavi. The...