S/PV.5851
5851st meeting
Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 10 a.m.
New York
The situation in Afghanistan
Mr. Ettalhi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): I, too, wish to thank Mr. Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, for his most informative briefing this morning. I also wish to thank the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for its efforts, in particular in rebuilding the country.
We also welcome Special Representative of the Secretary-General Eide, whom we congratulate on his appointment as Head of UNAMA.
I further welcome the Ambassador of Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, the Secretary-General’s report (S/2008/159) paints a bleak picture of the situation in Afghanistan. The principal causes it cites in that respect are renewed insurgent activities, the fragility of State institutions and their incapacity to promote socio-economic development to meet the basic needs of the people of Afghanistan.
The report also stresses the link between security and reconstruction. It notes in paragraph 31 that “[c]ultivation remains concentrated … in the insurgency-affected provinces”, which leads us simply to reiterate that the situation requires a comprehensive solution, and not an exclusively military one. I believe that we are all mindful of that.
The international community’s fundamental goal in Afghanistan is to help the Afghan people to establish a stable democratic State, and not to wage war against the Taliban or other armed groups. The fight against those entities is not an objective, and the use of force alone can never ensure the State’s control over its territory or assist it in reaching its development goals. Moreover, stability requires a parallel effort of dialogue to reconcile the country with all actors of Afghan society. The Afghanistan legislature has called on President Karzai to consider reconciliation with the anti-Government rebels and to strengthen the army and the police, in parallel with the adoption of measures for development.
Security is a precondition for development, but maintaining peace also requires socio-economic conditions that will meet the minimum basic needs of the people of Afghanistan. The solution lies in fighting not only the insurgents, but also the climate that fosters fundamentalism and extremism. In other words, we must build schools, provide medical care, and strengthen infrastructure. The Secretary-General stresses that connection when he writes in his report that
“[p]rovinces not affected by anti-Government violence have demonstrated an increasing capacity for delivering governance and economic development” (ibid., para. 11).
The report also notes in paragraph 29 that “counter-narcotics efforts have gained significant momentum”, although in paragraph 31 it says that “opium-poppy cultivation is not expected to change significantly” in 2008 and that it is “likely to increase ... in the insurgency-affected provinces”. While we appreciate those counter-narcotics efforts, we would emphasize once again that their success will be ensured only with the improved capacity to provide decent and legitimate employment to all Afghans.
I shall be brief. We appreciate the progress made in the dismantling of illegal armed groups and in the Government’s efforts to ensure good governance at the national level through the establishment of the Independent Directorate for Local Governance, as well as the measures taken to combat endemic corruption in the country. We especially welcome the Government’s efforts to develop the National Development Strategy and to make progress in that regard, as mentioned in paragraph 53 of the report of the Secretary-General (S/2008/159). My country supports the observations of the Secretary-General as regards the importance of the Strategy. Development is a vital part of the Mission’s work and is crucial to ensuring the success of the efforts currently being made in Afghanistan.
Finally, my country also supports the Secretary-General’s recommendation to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and to strengthen its role in the coordination of international efforts to ensure that the necessary funds are secured for the Mission to open regional offices and carry out good-governance efforts.
