UNESCO envoy's last-ditch attempt

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 3. The UNESCO Special Envoy, Mr. Pierre Lafrance, who is here on a mission to persuade the Taliban to stop the destruction of priceless historical monuments in Afghanistan, has failed to convince the Taliban Ambassador in Pakistan. Mr. Lafrance called on the Taliban envoy, Mulla Abdul Salaam Zaeef, in a bid to convince him to take up the case with the Taliban leadership and halt the destruction.

Mr. Lafrance, who has served as Ambassador of France in Pakistan, has been specially deputed by the UNESCO Director- General to make a last-minute attempt to persuade the Taliban not to go ahead with the destruction of the artefacts. He is leaving for Kandahar tomorrow for a possible meeting with the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Omar. Indications are that he would be received by the Foreign Minister, Mr. Muttawakil.

In the course of his stay in Islamabad the special envoy is also expected to meet authorities in Pakistan to urge them to use their good offices to prevail upon the Taliban.

During his meeting with Mr. Lafrance, Mullah Zaeef said ``we realise the importance of Afghanistan's cultural heritage and know that its destruction may create problems for us. But the decision has been taken by Afghanistan's ulema and not by the Taliban Government.'' The UNESCO representative conveyed that the decision would further deteriorate relations between the Taliban and the international community.

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