UNITED NATIONS (CNN) - The United Nations Security Council has blamed Taliban misrule in Afghanistan for the worsening humanitarian crisis in the country.

The Taliban have called on the U.N. to help thousands of displaced Afghans who are facing rapidly deteriorating conditions as a result of worsening weather and continued U.S. bombing.

But the U.N. has hit back at the Taliban, saying that they have been hindering humanitarian relief efforts.

On Tuesday Security Council President, Ambassador Patricia Durrant of Jamaica, called on the Taliban not to impede the aid effort, saying that the Council "deplored the looting of UN offices, and the Taliban's takeover of humanitarian relief sites, including food and supply warehouses."

Commending humanitarian agencies and their staff who have been working to assist Afghans, the Security Council said it was important to ensure the safety and security of locally hired and international humanitarian workers.

The U.N. estimates that 7.5 million Afghans are in need of aid and has warned that more than 100,000 Afghan children may not survive the oncoming winter.

Durrant told reporters after a closed-door meeting Tuesday that Security Council members had "stressed the need to continue to find innovative ways of delivering much-needed supplies to the region and distributing aid to those in need."

He said the Council was grateful to neighboring countries that have agreed to reopen borders to allow the transportation of aid convoys into Afghanistan.

The Council was also supportive of diplomatic efforts of the U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who has been meeting with different leaders and officials in the region.

The number of Afghans trying to flee their country has been reported to be increasing after the U.S. hinted that it was not prepared to halt its military campaign during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan -- which begins mid-November.

French President Jacques Chirac has said that the U.N. has agreed to hold a global conference to resolve what he called the "intolerable" plight of Afghan refugees.

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/11/07/gen.uncs.taliban/index.html

-- (ke6bjd@yahoo.com), November 07, 2001

Answers

Part of the reason is also the incredible DROUGHT in that part of the world.

Even if Afghanistan had peace, their food situation would still be precarious.

The hungriest places in the world are also those that have had war and repression ...

-- mark (mrobinowitz@igc.nospam.org), November 07, 2001.

You'd be surprised on how much power is in our hands right now to do something about this. President Bush wants to hear from us on this at (202) 456-1111 or (202) 456-1414. His operators will record and forward your comments.

Please take a minute of your time to call in and ask the President to halt the bombing long enough to let the enormous amounts of food that are stalled at the Afghanistan borders to get across. Relief organizations are not as concerned about the Taliban right now as they are about the bombing. Many of the relief workers have longstanding connections through indigenous contacts in that area, and know how to network in a way that ensures the success of their efforts.

I called the Whitehouse operators at 9:15 a.m. EST and got through in 30 seconds. If you call during peak hours, you might have to wait your turn, but it will be worth it.

I think that we will all enjoy our Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts a little more here if we know that we have done all that is in our power to get food to 7 million people who are in imminent danger of starvation. And isn't that what our upcoming holidays are all about, if they have any meaning at all to us?

Lori

-- Lori Cabirac (mcabirac@brandywine.net), November 08, 2001.

Lori: I can't believe you really believe that the bombing has anything to do with this.

-- Steve McClendon (ke6bjd@yahoo.com), November 08, 2001.

I'll make sure to call the white House "hot-line" and tell them to use nukes instead. End the Afgan suffering...

-- Justo Perez (jujumon@earthlink.net), November 08, 2001.