Norihiro Okuda, representing Japan, said while everyone was aware of the significance of the upcoming elections, a huge responsibility lay on the shoulders of the Afghan people, who were responsible for the preparations for, and conduct of, those elections. The international community shared that responsibility and Japan welcomed the statements on the elections issued by the International Support Group. Okuda stressed that for the elections to be credible, all candidates should be able to campaign on a level playing field and all eligible voters allowed to exercise that right.
The Council's representative from the United Kingdom, Philip Parham, said the growth of UNAMA's role was key to Afghanistan's development well beyond Kabul. Although serious challenges remained, the situation was moving forward in agriculture and political reform, and preparations for the elections were on track. Welcoming the progress made on donor coordination, Parham said the United Kingdom had long argued for consolidated support to the Government in close alignment with its national development strategy. On counter-narcotics, support for the Government's strategy must continue as national poppy production had decreased significantly and significant investment was going into seeking alternative livelihoods.
Recalling that his country had released an updated policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan in April, Parham said that it set out three objectives: preventing Al-Qaida's return to Afghanistan and reducing extremism; helping the country become an effective and credible State; and providing long-term sustainable support for its national development strategy. UNAMA had a central role to play in all those areas. Extremism and insurgency would not be defeated unless the daily lives of ordinary Afghans were improved. The presidential elections were less than two months away and the security situation meant that organizing them would be difficult. But given that the Afghan people would be organizing the expression of their own will for the first time in 30 years, it was essential to ensure a credible, inclusive and secure process.
Welcoming the arrival of new troops, especially in the south, Parham said they would improve security and help train and strengthen the country's own security forces. Indeed, that was the key to lasting success. The protection of non-combatants from military action must continue as each and every innocent life lost was a tragedy. Protecting the population was also at the core of the NATO mission, and antithetical to that of the Taliban. Parham said that the United Kingdom fully supported UNAMA's use of the increased resources to deliver more effectively and widely. Attention should be paid matching the demands of the Mission with the resources to deliver them. Parham concluded his comments by stressing that benchmarks were a vital tool, and the United Kingdom was content to allow more time for them.
Ugandan representative, Ruhakana Rugunda, stated support for UNAMA's continued role in support of the Afghan Government and people, saying that, while Uganda had noted security improvements in some parts of the country, it was nevertheless concerned about the rise of attacks, including against civilians, in others. Calling on donors and partners to continue to scale-up efforts in support of rehabilitation in the country, Rugunda said stability would benefit not only Afghanistan but also the wider region. Stability would also promote development and help to open regional dialog. Rugunda said that the next few months would be critical for Afghanistan's future development, and the positive momentum that had been built despite the difficulties must be maintained. Rugunda concluded by stressing that the international community must focus its support on bolstering civilian-led projects that would reinforce national efforts, the government must build on the momentum engendered so as to ensure stability and prosperity, and it must continue to work closely with UNAMA to those ends.
Thomas Mayr-Harting, of Austria, said that, while preparations for the August 20th vote deserved priority attention, it was also essential to prepare carefully for the possibility of a second round of presidential elections in the fall. Providing security in the coming months, especially during the elections, would be a great challenge, Mayr-Harting said, echoing concerns about the deteriorating security situation, including the high toll of civilian casualties, which threatened to overshadow many positive achievements.
While recognizing the complexity of the fight against the insurgency, it was critical to avoid a situation where more troops led to more casualties or behavior that offended the population, Mayr-Harting said, adding that his country was examining a possible contribution to European Union or United Nations programs focused on police and rule-of-law training activities. Mayr-Harting also said that Austria was also a strong supporter of demining activities, and had made a financial contribution to allow the deployment of three mine clearance teams, which together were projected to clear high-priority mine-contaminated land in the central and northern regions.
Afghan ownership was critically important in the civilian field, Mayr-Harting said, welcoming the Government's comprehensive plan to implement the "civilian surge" as a follow-up to the conference in The Hague. Investment in capacity-building, in the creation of sustainable jobs and the lasting expansion of the Government presence, Mayr-Harting said, was essential to sustainable progress for the benefit of the Afghan people and the region as a whole.
Regional cooperation and coordination was crucial in the fight against illicit drug trafficking, Mayr-Harting said. Indeed, the recent World Drug Report highlighted the decline in world opium poppy cultivation in 2008, which had largely been a result of the decrease in Afghanistan's cultivation area. The United Nations reports that Austria is currently supporting three projects of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) aimed at strengthening Afghanistan-Iran border control, capacity-building in criminal justice, and fighting corruption.
Claude Heller, representing Mexico, said he was concerned about the serious setbacks in the security situation, notably the increase in the number of incidents and the widespread violence in the capital, its neighboring provinces and the south. Heller said that the violence had produced a volatile climate for all, without distinction. Guaranteeing security was a main challenge, in the short- and medium-term, said Heller. Heller also stressed protecting the integrity of the most vulnerable populations, and humanitarian staff, in accordance with international law principles.
Reiterating Mexico's condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and vigorously condemning attacks against civilians, humanitarian and United Nations staff, Heller commended the progress made in expanding the national Armed Forces and national police. However, Heller said, those efforts must be stepped up urgently to generate the capacity necessary to guarantee minimum security for civilians. Mexico supported efforts by the national and international security forces to prevent "collateral" casualties.
Heller also welcomed the announcement by the United States of an increase in the number of troops within the framework of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), with the aim of strengthening Afghanistan's own security capabilities and improving the protection of civilians. Although ISAF retained the central security role, it was important to respect UNAMA's approach in the areas of development and reconstruction, stated Heller. All necessary measures should be adopted to prevent the recruitment of children by armed groups and to support their reintegration into society.
Commending Government and international efforts in demining operations and removal of other explosive remnants of war, Heller said that, despite the insecurity and prevailing violence, national priorities should be fostered through a comprehensive approach aimed at strengthening institution-building, promoting economic and social development, respect for human rights, and strengthened rule of law. Efforts to fight organized crime should also be stepped up. Heller concluded by stating that Mexico looked forward to secure, credible, free and fair elections in August.
The last representative to address the Security Council was Raanko Vilovic, from Croatia. Vilovic said his country was pleased with Afghanistan's efforts ahead of the upcoming presidential elections the crucial political moment of the year that would have a lasting impact on Afghanistan's future especially incentives to help create the conditions for a free and fair vote. Croatia, he said, welcomed the creation of the Complaints Commission and the intention of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to send election monitors. Vilovic, one of the few to make such a comment, said that the number of women registering to vote, especially at the provincial level, was also welcome. Despite such progress, however, Vilovic said that Croatia was concerned about the increase in security incidents, especially the rise in attacks against civilians. Addressing that problem required more than military measures and must include careful and targeted national reconciliation efforts, said Vilovic.
There had been positive movement on development issues, such as agricultural growth, health care and higher education, Vilovic said, welcoming the launch of a mechanism set up to increase aid effectiveness and further coordination of donor efforts. Croatia, he said, also supported the upcoming "civilian surge" aimed at building national capacity and institutions. The surge must be Afghan-led and primarily focused at the sub-national level. The regional dimension of the problems in Afghanistan could not be overestimated, he said, noting that Afghanistan's socio-economic growth would be inconceivable without cooperation with its regional neighbors. Concluding, Vilovic said that while much more needed to be done, Croatia welcomed steps to normalize relations between Afghanistan and several of its neighbors, including Pakistan.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
