S/PV.6154
6154th meeting
Tuesday, 30 June 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
The situation in Afghanistan
Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): Mr. President, since this is the last Council meeting in which you are participating in your capacity as the Permanent Representative of your brotherly country, permit me to add my voice to the colleagues who have preceded me and commend the laudable qualities that you have demonstrated and the constructive cooperation that have prevailed in the course of your leadership of your delegation. We also laud your positive contribution to the work of the Council. By the same token, I would like to thank you for the excellent manner with which you have steered the deliberations of the Council. On my behalf and on behalf of other members of the Council, I wish you health, happiness and success in your future activities.
I would also like to extend my thanks to Mr. Kai Eide for his comprehensive briefing and commend the efforts he and all the members of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) are expending to assist the Afghan people despite all the difficulties and challenges that they are facing. I wish also to welcome the statement made by His Excellency Ambassador Tanin, the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan.
The reports of the Secretary-General since 2005 have predicted the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan year in and year out. This past year has been no exception. The report of the Secretary-General before us (S/2009/323) makes numerous references to new record numbers of incidents since the beginning of this year. In paragraph 18, for example, the report indicates that the number of security incidents rose by 43 per cent. The number of such incidents rose above the 1,000 mark in last May alone. The report also predicts the possibility of increasing levels of violence in the forthcoming period.
Meanwhile, international pledges and promises to Afghanistan have, unfortunately, been declining, particularly with regard to the implementation of the Afghan National Development Strategy, which is made clear in paragraph 25 of the report. We are gravely concerned that the day will come when the international community will turn its back once again on Afghanistan. We hope that that will not happen.
Once again, we would like to state that the use of force alone will not lead to security and stability in Afghanistan. We believe that the proposal calling for increasing the number of civilian experts to support the Afghan Government and build Afghan capacity is a step in the right direction and must be carried out as soon as possible.
We also look forward to more inclusive reviews of peace and broader strategies in Afghanistan based on the principle of comprehensive dialogue with all those who accept dialogue as a means of promoting national reconciliation, achieving understanding among all sectors of the Afghan people, and realizing development.
On the other hand, there is a pressing need for to strengthen the role and mandate of UNAMA and make the necessary resources available to it. It is also necessary to support the wider presence and ensure effective contributions by United Nations agencies, in particular in development and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, with a view to paving the way for the withdrawal of foreign troops, which is a sine qua non for achieving national reconciliation.
We would like to express our satisfaction at the statement made by the representative of Afghanistan regarding the progress made in the areas of infrastructure, education, agriculture and health services. We also hope that the international community will continue its support in financing those sectors.
Despite the recurrent tragic incidents perpetrated by international troops against civilians in Afghanistan and despite repeated appeals to take the measures required to prevent their repetition, the incidents of killing civilians continue in a deeply disconcerting manner. It is enough here to refer to the incident that took place in the Bala Baluk district on 4 May 2009, which led to the deaths of 140 civilians according to Afghan Government sources. Recurrence of such incidents prompts us to question the establishment of rules and procedures by the international troop command to prevent such tragic incidents and their consequences. It is urgent that fair and impartial investigations of these incidents be conducted and those responsible for them be prosecuted.
We wish to express our satisfaction at the manner in which preparations for elections have been made, as well as the consensus reached by the Afghan people on this question. We wish here to commend the role played by Mr. Kai Eide and the United Nations Assistance Mission. We believe that the success of elections depends on the wide participation of the Afghan people, on the integrity of the process and on non-interference from outside in the election results.
In conclusion, we look forward to the report of the Secretary-General evaluating progress in implementing the mandate and priorities of UNAMA to be presented next September.
