Taliban face uphill battle in efforts to speak at UN meeting

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The new rulers of Afghanistan have an uphill battle in their efforts to be recognized in time to address other world leaders at the United Nations this year. The Taliban are challenging the credentials of the ambassador from Afghanistan’s former government and asking to speak at the General Assembly’s high-level meeting of world leaders this week. The spokeswoman for the General Assembly said the decision rests with a U.N. committee that will issue a ruling “in due course.” U.N. officials are confronting this dilemma just over a month after the Taliban swept back into power as U.S. forces prepared to withdraw from the country at the end of August.