Seymour Crawford
Question:178 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2662/05]
View answerWednesday, 2 February 2005
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Written answers
On 10 January 2005, Mr. Jean Arnault, the special representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, UNSRSG, for Afghanistan reported to the UN Security Council. The special representative said that the security situation in Afghanistan had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks. He cautioned, however, that the international community should not become complacent and pointed out that such progress is predicated on a continued high level of international military, political and economic assistance to Afghanistan.
Events in recent weeks demonstrate that the security situation remains volatile. On 20 January 2005, a suicide bomber carried out an assassination attempt on General Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek general who was a candidate in last year's presidential election. The Taliban are reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack. On 29 January 2005, an Afghan soldier was reported to have killed five of his fellow troops at a coalition base in the southern Helmand province. The reason for the attack remains unclear.
These events point to the need for the international community to remain focused on supporting 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, ISAF, for a further 12 month period beyond 13 October 2004, was an important development in this regard.
To ensure a secure environment in Afghanistan, it is important that all irregular forces are disarmed and demobilised or integrated into the national army. The disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process, DDR, has gained momentum in recent weeks and 33,000 militiamen have now been disarmed. If this momentum is maintained, it is hoped that the disarmament and demobilisation of the Afghan militia forces will be completed by June 2005, which is within the timeframe established by the Berlin conference last year. Reintegration activities for demobilised militia would then be expected to continue to 2006. I welcome progress made to date and strongly urge all concerned to make a full commitment to the completion of the DDR process.
The publication of a report on transitional justice by the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, AIHRC, on 29 January 2005 is a further, positive development in Afghanistan. The report is based on nationwide consultations with Afghan people on how they would like past human rights abuses to be addressed. The report concludes that the majority of citizens consulted wish to exclude individuals who are perceived as perpetrators of war crimes from political functions and high public office. I welcome the publication of this report and encourage the Afghan authorities to develop a strategy, in keeping with the wishes of the Afghan people as contained in the report, to address issues of transitional justice.
Looking ahead, the coming year will be an important one for Afghanistan. The parliamentary and local elections, due to take place in late spring 2005, represent the final step in the implementation of the Bonn Agreement of December 2001 on arrangements for the re-establishment of permanent government institutions in Afghanistan. The independent electoral commission, IEC, appointed by President Hamid Karzai on 19 January 2005, is expected to decide on the date of the elections within the next few weeks. These elections will undoubtedly present a considerable political and logistical challenge. It is important that the international community remains engaged in this process.
The House will be aware of the grave problems that flow from the resurgence of poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The opium economy is equivalent to 60% of Afghanistan's GDP and accounts for 56% of cultivated land. Afghanistan is now the largest drug cultivating country in the world. President Karzai has identified counter narcotics as a priority for the Afghan government and has introduced a number of important initiatives in this regard, including a national counter narcotics programme, the appointment of a Minister for Counter Narcotics and the establishment of a cabinet sub-committee on counter narcotics.
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 per annum of which has been channelled into counter narcotics projects in the region. We expect to be in a position to substantially increase our support for the programmes being carried out by UNODC, including in Afghanistan, in 2005.
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.
Question No. 179 answered with QuestionNo. 162.