United Nations Security Council resolution 1214, adopted unanimously on 8 December 1998, after recalling resolutions 1189 (1998) and

1193 Year 1193 ( MCXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Levant * March 4 – Saladin (the Lion) dies of a fever at Damascus. The lands of the Ayyu ...

(1998) concerning

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, the Council discussed the deteriorating political, military and humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and established a civil affairs unit as part of the

United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan The United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan was established by United Nations Secretary-General following a request by the General Assembly in December 1993. Its offices were forced to close in May 2001. See also * United Nations Assistance ...

(UNSMA). The Security Council expressed concern at the escalation of the Afghan conflict due to an offensive by the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

, causing a threat to international peace and security, destruction to property and the displacement of large numbers of people and refugees. It was also concerned at the increasingly ethnic and religious nature of the conflict, particularly against the

Shiites Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

. The United Front of Afghanistan wished to conclude a ceasefire with the Taliban, however there was continuing violence on both sides. Any outside interference in the country had to cease immediately. The Council remained concerned at the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country and reminded all Afghan factions of their obligations under the

Geneva Conventions upright=1.15, Original document in single pages, 1864 The Geneva Conventions are four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. The singular term ''Geneva Conven ...

. There was concern at the presence of terrorists in areas controlled by the Taliban, drug trafficking and discrimination against women and girls. The resolution demanded that the Taliban stopped fighting, conclude a

ceasefire A ceasefire (also known as a truce or armistice), also spelled cease fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a temporary stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. Ceasefires may be between state act ...

and resume negotiations without preconditions. The Taliban were called upon to inform the United Nations about results into an investigation into the deaths of two United Nations personnel

World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен� ...

and of the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

Jalalabad Jalalabad (; Dari/ ps, جلال‌آباد, ) is the fifth-largest city of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 356,274, and serves as the capital of Nangarhar Province in the eastern part of the country, about from the capital Kabul. Jala ...

and the military adviser to UNSMA in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. It also condemned the

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

of the

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian consulate-general, the killing of Iranian diplomats and of a journalist in

Mazar-i-Sharif , official_name = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , pushpin_map = Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_label = Mazar-i-Sharif , pushpin ...

. The Secretary-General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...

was asked to send a mission to investigate allegations of serious human rights violations such as massacres of

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

and civilians in addition to the destruction of religious sites. It encouraged further diplomatic efforts as part of the peace process, including the " six plus two" group and the

international community The international community is an imprecise phrase used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. As a rhetorical term Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is ...

. Finally, the Afghan factions, particularly the Taliban, were urged to end the discrimination against girls and women, to respect human rights, to cease supporting terrorists and halt illegal drug activities. The council would consider the imposition of further measures if the Taliban continued to defy previous security council resolutions.

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 1998 1214 1998 in Afghanistan 1214 December 1998 events