UN Names Envoy to War-Torn Afghanistan

The United Nations has appointed a special envoy to Afghanistan, tabbing veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault to head the multinational body’s efforts in reaching “a political solution to the conflict,” a spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday. The move was announced a day before representatives of the Afghan government and Taliban officials, along with Chinese, Russian, American and Pakistani diplomats, were to meet in Moscow for a summit meant to jumpstart stalled peace talks. That conference will be followed by a similar US-sponsored event in Turkey in early April and possibly a third UN-hosted meeting, as world powers have tired of the past year’s fruitless negotiations in Qatar. Kabul’s internationally recognized government and the insurgent Taliban terrorists have been mired in a bloody battle for years. While his predecessor reached a deal with the Taliban by which Washington would withdraw its remaining troops in Afghanistan by May 1 in return for a cessation of hostilities, US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said meeting that deadline would be “tough” as Taliban terror attacks have only intensified and world powers have warned of the country’s total collapse.