KABUL - Ján Kubiš, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Afghanistan, met with Maulawi Qiyamuddin Kashaaf, the Chairman of the Ulema Council of Afghanistan, this afternoon.

Following the inadvertently improper handling of the Holy Quran in the Bagram base, SRSG Kubiš called on Ulema Maulawi Qiyamuddin Kashaaf to say that he shared the concerns of the people of Afghanistan regarding this sad mistake that hurts the religious feelings of the people. He stressed that the United Nations deeply respects the Islamic faith, traditions and culture of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

The SRSG noted with satisfaction that COMISAF General Allen had rapidly apologized to the people and authorities of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and had ordered an investigation into the incident. The SRSG expressed his full confidence that ISAF will rapidly conclude the investigation, take appropriate follow-up action as soon as possible and move quickly to hold people behind this incident accountable.