UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 6 (UPI) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns the increasing involvement of outsiders in Afghanistan "is a source of very serious concern" and threatens a "transnational conflict," making it "a clear menace to regional peace and stability."
In a statement issued by spokesman Fred Eckhard today, Annan said, "Should the transnational aspect be allowed to take root, as it clearly threatens to do, the potential dangers will increase greatly." He added, "It will be much more difficult to prevent the conflict from spreading beyond Afghan borders."
Only Thursday, the Security Council condemned the Taliban "for launching a "large-scaled military offensive" against the Northern Alliance.
The Taliban also conceded it had suffered a setback in its offensive.
"The changing fortunes of the parties on the battlefield vividly illustrate that the Afghan conflict can never be resolved through force and that the gain or loss of territory will not bring peace," counseled Annan.
The secretary-general said in addition to arms, ammunition and other war-making materials being liberally delivered to the warring factions by foreign supporters, there are now thousands of non-Afghan nationals taking part in the fighting.
He recalled the Tashkent "Six-plus-Two" declaration signed in neighboring Uzbekistan by six of Afghanistan's neighbors, plus Russia and the United States.
It said it was agreed "Not to provide military support to any Afghan party and to prevent the use of our territories for such purposes."
Said Annan's statement, "Surely, the countries which signed this declaration shall wish to honor their signatures and will want to seriously work together to prevent the conflict in Afghanistan from becoming what experts are already terming 'a transnational conflict."'
He also said, "Reports of massive forced displacement of civilians >from the areas where fighting has been raging are alarming."
The U.N. High Commissioner in Geneva said today, "There has been dramatic new civilian displacement."
"According to U.N. staff in the region, this six-day offensive has caused the displacement of between 100,000 and 140,000 people," said Judith Kumin, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Geneva. "The majority of the displaced people have retreated into the Panjshir Valley" in Kapisa province.
The agency said in addition to people moving out of the Shamali plain on their own, "It appears the Taliban forces are also shipping people on trucks and buses" from the plain to Kabul and Jalalabad.
"From interviews with these new arrivals it is reported that Taliban are separating women and children from the men," Kumin said. "The women who have arrived in Kabul and Jalalabad say that their men are being interrogated by the Taliban, and some have ended in jail."
Said the spokeswoman, "This kind of forced displacement is widely condemned by the international community."
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World News 6 Aug 99