Taleban condemned over human rights

GENEVA, Switzerland -- The U.N. Human Rights Commission has adopted a resolution condemning human rights violations in Afghanistan under the Taleban regime.

The U.N. body, sitting in Geneva, also called on the Taleban to respect the cultural heritage of the country following the destruction of ancient Buddha statues it said fell foul of strict Islamic law banning idolatry.

The resolution, adopted without a vote, was welcomed by the Afghan representative at the commission, who is a member of the opposition still recognised by the United Nations.

The text also criticised the treatment of women, abritrary arrests, torture, murders, quashed basic freedoms and racial, ethnic and sexual discrimination in Afghanistan.

Pakistan, another Muslim country, said it regretted that the resolution did not reflect reality and stressed the humanitarian aid it sent to Afghanistan.

In an allusion to the destroyed Buddhas, the commission called on the Taliban to immediately take measures to prevent further destruction of irreplaceable relics, monuments and objects of art.

Three U.S. government officials are visiting Afghanistan to assess the humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged country, U.S. and World Food Program officials said.

Their visit was apparently the first by U.S. officials since Washington launched missile attacks against suspected guerrilla camps in Afghanistan of Saudi Arabian dissident Osama bin Laden in 1998.

The ruling Taliban militia has no diplomatic links with the United States, which is angry that the ultra-orthodox Islamic movement refuses to hand over bin Laden to face charges that he masterminded the bombing of two of its embassies in East Africa in 1998.

Mansour said the WFP has appealed for 175,000 tonnes of food for Afghanistan this year and the United States alone had promised 75,000 tonnes.

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