UN set to reject Taliban and Myanmar junta, diplomats reveal

Acceptance of either group would be a step towards international recognition

Myanmar's junta and the Taliban are up against ambassadors appointed by the governments they ousted this year in rival claims for seats at the United Nations, whose headquarters in New York are pictured. APShow less

A United Nations committee meeting on Wednesday is unlikely to allow the Taliban in Afghanistan or the junta in Myanmar to represent their countries at the 193-member world body, diplomats have said.

UN acceptance of either organisation would be a step towards the international recognition sought by both.

Rival claims have been made for the seats of both countries, with the Taliban and Myanmar's junta pitted against ambassadors appointed by the governments they ousted this year.

A nine-member UN committee, which includes Russia, China and the United States, will meet to consider the credentials of all 193 members for the current session of the UN General Assembly.

The panel is likely to defer decisions on the representation of Afghanistan and Myanmar on the understanding the current ambassadors for both countries remain in the seats, four diplomats told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

The committee — which also includes the Bahamas, Bhutan, Chile, Namibia, Sierra Leone and Sweden — will then send its report on the credentials of all members to the UN General Assembly for approval before the end of the year.

Both the committee and the General Assembly traditionally take decisions on credentials by consensus, diplomats say.

Gaining leverage

The Taliban, which seized power in mid-August from the internationally recognised government, has nominated its spokesman Suhail Shaheen, who is in Doha, as Afghanistan's UN ambassador.

The country's current UN ambassador appointed by the ousted government, Ghulam Isaczai, has also asked to keep the seat.

When the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, the ambassador of the government they toppled remained UN representative after the credentials committee deferred its decision on rival claims to the seat.

The current UN ambassador appointed by the ousted government, Ghulam Isaczai, speaks at a UN security council meeting on Afghanistan. AFP

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the Taliban's desire for international recognition is the only leverage other countries have to press for inclusive government and respect for rights, particularly for women, in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's nominated UN envoy Mr Shaheen posted on Twitter this month: “We have all the conditions needed for occupying the seat of Afghanistan at UN. We hope legal requirements will supersede political preferences.”

The junta, which seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February in Myanmar, has put forward military veteran Aung Thurein as its UN envoy.

Myanmar's ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Moe Tun. Photo: United Nations

Current ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun — appointed by Ms Suu Kyi's government — has also asked to renew his UN accreditation, despite being the target of a plot to kill or injure over his opposition to the coup.

The former UN special envoy on Myanmar, who stepped down last month, said no country should recognise or legitimise the junta, while Mr Guterres pledged in February to mobilise pressure “to make sure that this coup fails”.