Jim O'Keeffe
Ceist:94 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the situation in Afghanistan; and the support which will be available from the Government regarding the new situation there. [31491/01]
Written Answers. - Foreign Conflicts.
During my appearance before the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs on 4 December, I set out my views on the current situation in Afghanistan. I welcomed the news that agreement had been reached at the UN-sponsored conference in Bonn. I congratulated the UN Secretary General, Special Representative, Lakhdar Brahimi, and his colleagues on the success of the Bonn conference.
On 5 December the Afghan parties signed the agreement on a transitional power sharing administration and on arrangements for the reinstatement of permanent Government institutions in Afghanistan. On 6 December the Security Council endorsed the Bonn Agreement in UNSCR 1383 which: called on all Afghan parties to co-operate with the interim administration due to take office on 22 December; reaffirmed support for Ambassador Brahimi and the role entrusted to the UN in Annex ll of the agreement; called on all Afghan parties to allow full humanitarian access in conditions of security, called on international donors to rally to the rehabilitation, recovery and reconstruction of Afghanistan; and declared its willingness to take action on the basis of a report by the UN Secretary General, to support the interim institutions, and in due course, to support the implementation of the agreement and its Annexes.
At the general affairs meeting yesterday, the Council gave its full support for the arrangements set out in the agreement signed in Bonn on 5 December. The Council called upon all the Afghan groups to implement the agreement in full and appointed Ambassador Klaus-Peter Klaiber as the EU's Special Representative for Afghanistan, responsible for contributing to the implementation of the Union's policy in that country. He will work in the framework laid down by Security Council Resolution 1378, in close liaison with Special Representative Brahimi, whose action he will support. He is aware of the importance and urgency of an adequate security environment in Kabul and the surrounding area, in particular the possible establishment of an international security force. The member states of the Union are willing to examine what contribution they can make in the framework of the UN Security Council Resolutions. The EU will co-chair the next meeting of the steering group on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan in Brussels on 21 December.
I welcome the progress in the campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. I hope that the fighting can be brought to an early conclusion with the minimum number of casualties.
With regard to reports of extra judicial killings in Afghanistan, I call on those involved in the fighting to respect international law, particularly in relation to the treatment of prisoners.
Regarding the events which took place in Mazar-e-Sharif in late November, I stress that, notwithstanding the prevailing conflict situation and the sustained cycle of violence in Afghanistan, it is essential that human rights and humanitarian obligations are respected. It is necessary for the facts of what took place there to be fully established and made known. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights intends to send two field missions to the region to investigate reports. I look forward to their assessment.
Among the Government's immediate concerns is the necessity for a visible and effective strategy for meeting the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people over the coming period. Despite the positioning of substantial emergency aid stocks within Afghanistan and on its borders, problems with its distribution to some regions have been exacerbated in recent weeks. One reason for this is the start of winter snowfalls which are making upland areas inaccessible and causing extreme hardship, particularly for vulnerable women and children. Another is the disruption of aid delivery because of conflict along essential routes or infighting between local factions. It is essential that we build on the political consensus reached by the Afghan parties in Bonn to create the secure conditions necessary to deliver aid right now to those who need it. At the same time we can help prepare the way for national reconstruction.
The Government will continue to work both bilaterally and with other members of the international donor community in support of these objectives – including at the forthcoming meeting of the steering group on the Reconstruction of Afghanistan in Brussels on 21 December. This year 5.08 million or £4 million has been provided in humanitarian assistance by Ireland Aid to Afghanistan. This aid is balanced in its delivery between those at risk within the country and those who are seeking protection in neighbouring states such as Pakistan and Iran. It is being provided, in a manner adaptable to the changing situation on the ground, through Irish NGOs such as Concern, Trócaire, GOAL and Christian Aid, and through the appropriate UN and International Red Cross and Crescent agencies. The Government stands ready to provide further relief and recovery assistance to Afghanistan as appropriate to the evolving situation.