The top U.N. envoy in Afghanistan told the Security Council on Monday that upcoming elections will mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan's history, and he urged all citizens to vote and not allow "spoilers and terrorists [to] deprive you of your choice, of your future." Jan Kubis told the 15-country council he is "gravely disturbed" by the Taliban's recent declaration that it will seek to disrupt the election process by "unleashing a campaign of terror." Kubis said a breakthrough in direct talks between the Afghan government and Taliban "remains elusive so far, despite some interesting recent initiatives." He called for continued patient efforts to build "an environment conducive to more formal efforts later, where the United Nations should, and would, have a more prominent role." Kubis spoke just before the Security Council voted unanimously to extend the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan by one year.
