UNITED NATIONS, United States: As long as restrictions against women's rights remain in place in Afghanistan, it will be 'nearly impossible' for the international community to recognize the Taliban government, the UN's envoy to the country said Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).

In my regular discussions with the de facto authorities, I am blunt about the obstacles they have created for themselves by the decrees and restrictions they have enacted, in particular against women and girls,' Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, told the Security Council.