UN commission, Pakistan to discuss anti-talib sanctions

A UN expert commission, due to arrive in Pakistan on a five-day visit today, would be expected to discuss the relevant mechanism for monitoring compliance with the UN Security Council's resolution No. 1333 that stipulates additional sanctions against the Talib regime. This was disclosed to RIA-NOVOSTI here today by sources at the local UN mission. UN experts are to visit specific areas in the vicinity of the Pakistani-Afghan border; according to some sources, Afghanistan's fundamentalists still continue to get weapons via those regions. Islamabad, which keeps refuting such claims, nonetheless does admit that the rather lengthy border, which passes across rugged terrain, can't be completely controlled. Quite possibly, some groups or gangs may be involved in cross-border arms-smuggling operations, official authorities say. However, they emphatically deny any involvement of military authorities or civilian officials. Some top Pakistani officials, including Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, have stated repeatedly that Islamabad, which perceives the afore-said UNSC resolution as a unilateral document, is still ready to unfailingly observe its provisions. According to that resolution, which had been passed in December 2000, the complete arms embargo shall apply to the Kabul regime alone; meanwhile it says nothing about military aid to the northern alliance.

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