Security Council mission reports on Afghanistan visit

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- A high level Security Council mission to Afghanistan presented a mixed picture of life in that country saying that it was "greatly impressed by the eagerness of the Afghans to stand together, rebuild their country, and improve their living conditions" but found Afghans increasingly frustrated "about the lack of a peace dividend and tangible benefits" particularly in the provinces.
 
In a report to the council November 11, German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, head of the mission, said, "in the last two years the Afghan Government, with the support of the international community has made significant progress in implementing the Bonn Agreement and recovering from the devastation caused by more than two decades of war." But he added, "major challenges lie ahead and much remains to be done if the peace process is to be irreversible and security in Afghanistan realized."
 
During a public Security Council meeting, Pleuger described the progress as "clearly visible in every corner of Kabul: Construction is underway everywhere, the markets are filled with goods, school children can be seen everywhere and, last but not least the city is jammed -- and unfortunately also polluted -- by heavy traffic."
 
But the ambassador stressed, "lasting peace and security in Afghanistan cannot be achieved by the Afghan authority alone. It also depends upon the international community's continued coordinated political and financial support for Afghanistan."
 
Most Afghans emphasized that a strong international security force is necessary to provide an enabling environment for the peace process, building the national army and police, and extending central government authority. There were also repeated requests for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to be deployed throughout the country, he said.
 
Pleuger said that security was always at the center of the mission's talks throughout the country. Terrorist activities, factional fighting, and drug related crime remain the major concern of Afghans today, he said.
 
In the south, southeast, and eastern provinces, he said, insecurity is greatly exacerbated by terrorist attacks from suspected Taliban, al-Qaeda, and supporters of the Gulbudeen Hekmatyar which pose a significant threat to the new national police force, Afghans supporting the central government, and to the humanitarian aid workers.
 
"In too many areas of the country the arbitrary control exercised by local commanders and factional armies has resulted in heavy causalities," the ambassador said. In meetings with Atta Mohammad and Abdulrashid Dostum, "the mission in strong terms underlined the need to implement the reforms outlined for the north."
 
The narcotics economy is largely unchecked, Pleuger said. "The rapid growth of the narcotics economy in recent months has the potential to dwarf the legal economy and threaten the small gains in the field of reconstruction and economic stabilization," he said.
 
The mission made five recommendations: all factional forces should be withdrawn from Kabul as a matter of urgency; the international community should contribute to the Law and Order Trust Fund and increase security assistance; the Afghan Transitional Administration should reform key institutions as it did in the Ministry of Defense; and a follow-up conference to the Bonn process should be held early next year.
 
In its fifth recommendation the mission said that "the Afghan Transitional Administration should initiate a process of national reconciliation directed at all Afghans willing to help rebuild the country irrespective of past events in order to strengthen the central government and the basic institutions of the states. Furthermore, it should ensure broad and universal participation in the peace process, in particular with regard to the role of women."
 
Pleuger said that in discussions on women's issues, the mission "heard vehement complaints from women's organizations and civil society groups regarding intimidation, harassment, and exclusion from social economic and political activities" and found that "the rights of women -- particularly their active participation in social, political and economic spheres -- continue to be seriously hampered by culture, customs, and the lack of security."
 
Pleuger also said that Afghanistan has now entered the most critical phase in the peace process -- the Constitutional Loya Jirga and elections process, which have the potential to divide Afghan society.
 
He said that "the conditions necessary for a credible national political process are not yet in place -- national reconciliation requires greater focus; political parties need time to develop; national institutions must undergo reform, and the power of the factional leaders must be diminished."
 
He said the mission felt that parliamentary elections should be held as soon as possible after the presidential elections.
 
The primary purpose of the mission, which took place from October 31 to November 8, was to send a signal to the Afghan people that Afghanistan remains high on the agenda of the Security Council and that the international community continues to support the peace process in Afghanistan, Pleuger said. In meetings with local and provincial authorities, members of the mission stressed that it is imperative that they participate in the Bonn peace process and cooperate with the central government in Kabul.
 
All 15 members of the Security Council participated in the mission. Most nations were represented by their chief envoy to the United Nations. Members included U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, U.K. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, Russian Ambassador Sergey Lavrov, French Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, Bulgarian Ambassador Stefan Tafrov, Chilean Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, Mexican Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, Pakistan Ambassador Munir Akram, and Spanish Ambassador Inocencio Arias. Representatives of Angola, Cameroon, China, Guinea, and Syria were also on the visit.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)