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General News
11/2/2009 6:49 AM ET
(RTTNews) -
The United Nations said it was partially withdrawing its staff from Pakistan's dangerous north-west and the neighboring tribal area.
In a statement issued Monday, UN spokesman Ishrat Rizvi said the organization had reduced its "international staff number in NWFP (North West Frontier Province) and FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas] with presence of only those vital for emergency, humanitarian relief, security operations or any other essential operations as advised by the Secretary-General".
All other international UN staff who were involved in program activities will be relocated out of the north-western region, it added.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who arrived Monday in Kabul on an unannounced visit, said in a statement that the decision had been taken "bearing in mind the intense security situation in the region."
"Secretary-General Ban has now arrived in the country to express his solidarity with the men and women of the United Nations following last week's tragic events," a UN statement said referring to a Taliban attack Tuesday on a UN guest house in downtown Kabul that killed nine, including five UN international staff.
The militant outfit said the attack was the beginning of their anti-election campaign because the UN staff were helping convene the second round of Afghan Presidential elections.
Ban has scheduled meetings with President Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah, who withdrew from the run-off, and UN employees.
by RTT Staff Writer
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