The UN has decided to slap fresh tough sanctions against Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and ban arms sale to them unless they close terrorist training camps and surrender Saudi terrorist Osama Bin Laden within a month even as the militia condemned the move saying it would wreak havoc on the Afghan people. The 15-member council last night voted a joint American-Russian resolution imposing sanctions over objections openly voiced by Secretary General Kofi Annan only a few hours earlier at a press conference.
Thirteen members voted in favour of the resolution, a rare joint effort by two former rivals, and china and Malaysia abstained, arguing that the new measures would only harm the people already burdened with two decades of civil war and a crushing drought.
The resolution also calls for withdrawal of all foreign military and security advisers who, diplomats says, are mostly Pakistanis.
A report from Islamabad said that the Taliban immediately denounced the new sanctions, threatening to walk out of the UN sponsored peace talks. The new measures would lead to further deterioration in the situation.
America takes a whole Afghan nation hostage for one person Osama Bin Laden. Under which law is it justifiable to victimise 18 mn people of Afghanistan using the excuse of one person, Taliban ambassador to Pakistan Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef said.

Bureau Report