More photos are available here for unrestricted use.
Ko chiro Matsuura yesterday conveyed a letter, through his special envoy in Afghanistan Pierre Lafrance, to Mullah Omar demanding that he suspend his edict to destroy pre-Islamic Afghan statues until the arrival of an important religious delegation. Ko chiro Matsuura continues his efforts to mobilize political and religious leaders to protect the heritage of Afghanistan. After talks with, among others, the Taliban Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mullah Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, Mr Lafrance indicated that there was still hope that the Buddha statues at Bamiyan might be saved. Ko chiro Matsuura has sent a special envoy to Afghanistan to deliver a message to the Taliban authorities, urging them to reverse their decision to destroy the ancient statues of Afghanistan s cultural heritage. Ko chiro Matsuura said today he was shocked at the announcement that the destruction of statues had begun in Afghanistan, despite various initiatives undertaken since Monday to convince the Taliban to reverse their decision.