SC – Debate on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
Statement by Thomas Mayr-Harting, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations
New York, 18 March 2010
I wish to thank Under-Secretary-General Le Roy for his briefing. Let me also welcome the Permanent Representative of Afghanistan, Ambassador Zahir Tanin, at this table and thank him for his important contribution.
Austria aligns herself with the statement to be made later in this debate by the EU Delegation on behalf of the European Union.
The London Conference has initiated a new phase of transition to greater Afghan leadership and responsibility. It has also set the agenda for the Kabul Conference in June, which is expected to focus on a reform-oriented nation-building agenda. We agree with the Secretary-General’s view that the purpose of transition is to make Afghan sovereignty real. We also share his assessment that in this process of transition it is essential to take into account the concerns of the Afghans[mm1].
In this spirit Austria, Liechtenstein and the Liechtenstein Institute on Self Determination at Princeton University organized an Afghanistan Implementation Colloquium in Austria at the end of February, which brought together a significant number of Afghans and international experts. We believe that the results of those discussions can prove useful in the preparation of the Kabul Conference.
In regard of the parliamentary elections to be held in September, effective electoral reform, building on the commitments made at the London Conference, will be critical to ensure that these elections can contribute to the consolidation of democracy in Afghanistan. We also hope that measures to facilitate participation of women as well as minorities, both as candidates and voters, will be put in place.
We encourage the Government of Afghanistan to accelerate the implementation of the National Action Plan for Women and to foster the process of integration of women into the political, economic and social life.
Following President Karzai’s inauguration speech of last November and the London Conference in January, the concepts of reintegration and reconciliation have moved to the forefront of attention. There is no purely military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. We believe that both reintegration and reconciliation should be fully Afghan-led and must respect the Constitution as well as international commitments[mm4]. Furthermore, broad involvement by and consensus among all relevant stakeholders of the Afghan political system will be critical. The participation of women in the reconciliation process – in line with Security Council resolution 1325 (1999) – will be of importance for achieving sustainable peace.[mm5] We hope that the national Peace Jirga scheduled for the end of April will be prepared in a transparent and inclusive manner, engaging all relevant segments of Afghan society. Any genuine reconciliation process will have to be complemented by accountability for serious crimes of the past. [mm6]
As the Secretary-General has pointed out, the Security Council’s recent decision to remove five former Taliban officials from the list established pursuant to Security Council resolution 1267 (1999) was welcomed in Afghanistan as a confidence building measure that can help lay the foundations for an eventual political process. We take note of the Secretary-General’s evaluation that further confidence-building measures would be useful. In this context, as Chair of the 1267 Committee I look forward to cooperating with the Afghan authorities and UNAMA in ensuring the full implementation of resolutions 1267 (1999), 1822 (2008) and 1904 (2009), including in the framework of the ongoing efforts to update the Consolidated List and, more specifically, through the current review process.
The negative impact of the security situation on protection of civilians remains a major challenge. The fact that last year has seen the highest number of civilian casualties since 2001 is deeply worrying, with the Taliban and other extremist groups being responsible for the greatest number of civilian deaths. At the same time, we wish to welcome the progress made by ISAF and other international forces in significantly reducing the number of civilian casualties I the context of their operations and hope that these efforts will be further pursued.
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We believe that regional cooperation will be crucial for stability and prosperity of Afghanistan. All of Afghanistan’s neighbours ought to be included and take part in this process. [mm8]We would like to encourage intensified confidence building and cooperation in economic and political terms, as well as mutual assistance in the fight against drugs, terrorism, and criminality. We are pleased to see UNAMA provide support to such regional cooperation in accordance with its mandate.[mm9]
In this context, Austria also appreciates the activities undertaken by UNODC to facilitate regional cooperation, such as the Paris Pact, the Rainbow Strategy, and the development of a regional program for Afghanistan and its neighbours.[mm10]
In view of the challenges ahead for Afghanistan during the coming months, we are convinced that UNAMA will continue to play a key role in support of the Government. We therefore support the extension of UNAMA’s mandate for another 12 months, with the modifications suggested by the Secretary-General in order to increase the effectiveness and the impact of the mission’s support. Austria is looking forward to working with the new SRSG and wishes him every success in his important and challenging tasks.
