A/RES/54/189A-B Page 4 United Nations auspices aimed at achieving a lasting political settlement of the conflict by creating a broadbased, multi-ethnic and fully representative government, which would protect the rights of all Afghans and observe the international obligations of Afghanistan; 4. Welcomes the intra-Afghan meetings in Ashgabat at the beginning of 1999 and in Tashkent in July 1999, and urges all Afghan parties to take further confidence-building measures with a view to resuming direct intra-Afghan talks; 5. Urges the Taliban and other Afghan parties to refrain from all acts of violence against civilians, including women and children; 6. Strongly condemns the sharp escalation of the conflict, in particular after the launching of a new offensive by the Taliban in July 1999; 7. Notes with distress reports indicating the involvement in the fighting in Afghanistan, mainly on the side of the Taliban forces, of two thousand to five thousand non-Afghan nationals, mostly from religious schools, some of whom are still children; 8. Strongly condemns the fact that foreign military support to the Afghan parties continued unabated through 1999, and calls upon all States to refrain strictly from any outside interference and to end immediately the supply of arms, ammunition, military equipment, training or any other military support to all parties to the conflict in Afghanistan; 9. Calls upon all States to take resolute measures to prohibit their military personnel from planning and participating in combat operations in Afghanistan and immediately to withdraw their personnel and to assure that the supply of ammunition and other war-making materials is halted; 10. Reiterates its position that the United Nations must continue to play its central and impartial role in international efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Afghan conflict; 11. Reaffirms its full support for the efforts of the United Nations in facilitating the political process towards the goal of national reconciliation and a lasting political settlement with the participation of all parties to the conflict and all segments of Afghan society, and fully supports, in particular, the comprehensive efforts of the Secretary-General, of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and those of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan; 12. Supports the intention of the Secretary-General to strengthen the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan with a view to assuring its primary role in conducting United Nations peacemaking activities in Afghanistan, in particular by appointing a new head of Mission, by progressively moving its head office to Kabul and by increasing its presence in neighbouring countries; 13. Also supports the intention of the Secretary-General to redouble the efforts of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan to achieve a durable and equitable political settlement by facilitating an immediate and durable ceasefire and the resumption of a dialogue between the Afghan parties, by instituting a negotiating process leading to the formation of a broad-based, multi-ethnic and fully representative government of national unity and by continuing to work closely with all countries that are willing to help find a peaceful solution to the Afghan conflict, in particular with the members of the “six plus two” group,