Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 November 2004
41 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the security and political situation in Afghanistan; the action being taken by the Government to secure the release of hostages taken in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30015/04]
View answerThe recent kidnapping of three UN workers, among them a dual Irish-British national, Ms Annetta Flanigan, gave cause for serious concern. Happily, they were released yesterday and I conveyed the sense of relief and delight of the Irish people to Annetta's family. The positive outcome to this difficult case is itself a tribute to the Afghan Government and to the United Nations, with whom my Department was in regular contact during these recent weeks. We also discussed the situation on a number of occasions with Archbishop Eames, who has been a great source of support to her family.
The presidential election in Afghanistan — the first election to be held since the 1960s — took place on 9 October 2004. On 3 November 2004, Mr. Hamid Karzai, leader of the Afghan Transitional Authority, was declared elected. His inauguration will take place on 7 December 2004. The presidential election constitutes the penultimate step in the implementation of the Bonn Agreement of December 2001 on arrangements for the re-establishment of permanent government institutions in Afghanistan. The holding of parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 2005, will complete this process.
The fact that millions of Afghan nationals turned out to vote was most encouraging, and bodes well for the future stability of Afghanistan. President Karzai won 55.4% of the vote and secured support across all ethnic groups and in all areas of the country. The election day also passed without a major security incident, which is a tribute to both the Afghan police and armed forces, as well as to the international security forces in Afghanistan.
In the aftermath of the presidential election, the UN, the EU, the OSCE and other relevant bodies are continuing to work with the Afghan authorities to facilitate the peaceful and successful holding of parliamentary elections next year. The parliamentary elections present a considerable political and logistical challenge. The possibility that there will be thousands of candidates cannot be ruled out.
Much attention will also be focused on the formation of President Karzai's cabinet, which will be appointed after Mr. Karzai's inauguration on 7 December 2004. It will be important that President Karzai forms a strong and broad-based cabinet which will foster the social and economic development of the country and tackle the many challenges ahead.
Looking ahead, it is important that the international community remains focused on how best to support Afghanistan. The decision of the UN Security Council on 17 September 2004 to extend the mandate of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan for a further 12-month period beyond 13 October 2004 is an important development in this regard. The agreement by NATO, at its summit in Istanbul in June 2004, to provide an additional 3,500 NATO troops to supplement ISAF for the election period together with the deployment of a number of new provincial reconstruction teams in recent months were also positive developments.
To ensure a secure environment in Afghanistan, it is important that all irregular forces are disarmed and demobilised, or integrated into the national army. I welcome the steps already taken towards this end, but much more needs to be done so that the future Afghan Government has unified armed forces at its disposal. To this end, I strongly urge all concerned to make a full commitment to the vigorous implementation and intensification of the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process.
The House will be aware of the grave problems that flow from the resurgence of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. On 18 November 2004, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime released a survey on opium production in Afghanistan in 2004. The survey found that opium cultivation has increased by 64% compared to 2003. Afghanistan is now the largest drug cultivating country in the world. Counter-narcotics will be a priority for the new Afghan Government. Ireland, together with our EU partners, fully supports the Afghan authorities' uncompromising stance on the illicit cultivation of and trafficking in drugs. Over the past three years, Ireland has contributed €500,000 per annum to the UNODC, €300,000 of which per annum has been channelled into counter-narcotics projects in the region.
Afghanistan will continue to face many serious challenges in the period ahead and will therefore continue to need extensive support from the international community. Ireland and our partners in the European Union are determined to continue to play our part in this process.
