INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The United States has taken control of the Afghan Embassy in Washington and Afghan consulates in two United States states, the State
Department has said.The State Department has assumed &sole responsibility& for the security and maintenance of the diplomatic missions and
their &furnishings, archives, and financial assets& and will bar anyone from entering them without its permission until further notice, the
department said in a notice to be published on May 18 in the Federal Register, the Associated Press reported.The move came after the
department determined that the embassy and the consulates in Little Neck, New York, and Beverly Hills, California, had &formally ceased
conducting diplomatic and consular activities in the United States& at noon on May 16.Washington does not recognize the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan (IEA) led government in Afghanistan, which took power last year after the withdrawal of United States and allied troops, and
does not have formal diplomatic relations with the country.A department official told AP the step did not signal any change in United States
policy toward Afghanistan.The United States took control of the facilities in an agreement with diplomats from the former Afghan government
who faced &severe financial constraints that made continued operations unsustainable,& the official said.The department noted Afghanistan
had not requested a third country to serve as a &protecting power& for its United States facilities or interests
Since Washington closed its embassy in Kabul, Qatar has served as the United States protecting power in Afghanistan.The Islamic Emirate,
has however, emphasized the need for the establishment of diplomatic relations with the countries and says that interaction with Afghanistan
will benefit all countries.Bilal Karimi, Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said: &The Islamic Emirate is working on diplomatic issues
and has good diplomatic relations with many countries, and it is hoped that diplomatic avenues will be open and there will be no problems in
this area, and this will benefit all countries to have diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.The post United States takes control of Afghan
embassy and consulates first appeared on Ariana News.
