Sir, - If any good has come out of the destruction of the ancient Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban, it's that it has drawn the world's attention to a largely forgotten conflict there. The UN Secretary-General has commented that this episode is "bound to make it more difficult to raise aid for the impoverished country" (The Irish Times, March 12th). While such a viewpoint is understandable, the continuing impoverishment of the Afghan people remains a blot on the international conscience.
The international community has ignored the plight of over half-a-million Afghans suffering from a two-year drought, the results of UN sanction and an escalation in the 20-year-old civil war. It is estimated that over a million Afghans have been killed in this time, besides the thousands who died as a result of two recent devastating earthquakes. There is increasing evidence that ethnic cleansing is being carried out by the Taliban, who form part of the majority Pashtun ethnic group. As a result there are tens of thousands of internally displaced people and over 200,000 Afghans in neighbouring Pakistan.
The Irish delegation at the UN Security Council should now attempt to highlight the continuing forgotten tragedy of the Afghan people. - Yours, etc.,
Brendan Butler,Pennock Hill, Swords, Co Dublin.