Says Afghans registering en masse to vote

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- Emphasizing the growing popular support and importance of the coming Afghan national elections, the chief U.N. representative in Afghanistan warned May 27 that "a robust international military presence in support of domestic security forces" is critical to carrying out successful elections.

Afghanistan's national elections can be "an invaluable means" to broaden the legitimacy of the new state and strengthening its authority to address the persisting problems of violent extremism, factionalism, drugs, and human rights, Jean Arnault, U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, told the U.N. Security Council.

United Nations -- Emphasizing the growing popular support and importance of the coming Afghan national elections, the chief U.N. representative in Afghanistan warned May 27 that "a robust international military presence in support of domestic security forces" is critical to carrying out successful elections.

Afghanistan's national elections can be "an invaluable means" to broaden the legitimacy of the new state and strengthening its authority to address the persisting problems of violent extremism, factionalism, drugs, and human rights, Jean Arnault, U.N. special representative for Afghanistan, told the U.N. Security Council.

"Surprisingly perhaps, in a country without a strong electoral tradition," Arnault said, "voter registration has mobilized the population at large, who are insistently demanding participation in the electoral process."

"There is momentum. There are expectations," the U.N. special representative said. "Those -- not a small number -- who were disappointed after the June 2002 Emergency Loya Jirga by the composition of the transitional government deemed too unrepresentative of the nation, have transferred their hopes to the national elections."

But Arnault warned that the security situation is still tenuous in many parts of the country and additional military aid is needed to ensure that violence will not mar the elections.

Security in general and for the electoral process in particular is ultimately an Afghan responsibility, he said, but the burden also rests on the international community. Security "is a responsibility that Afghans cannot shoulder without international assistance," he said.

He issued "one last call" to NATO "to meet the commitment it has given earlier to the people of Afghanistan."

"Training, funding, and general capacity-building are important tools, but they are not enough. Widespread, robust international military presence in support of domestic security forces remains critical," Arnault said.

"The persistent woes of Afghanistan -- terrorism, factionalism, and criminal networks -- are as much at work today as they were two years ago, and their ability to subvert state-building and a genuine political process is hardly diminished," he said.

"Whether it is counterterrorism, electoral security, counternarcotics or control of factional fighting, at this critical juncture for the Afghan peace process, international security assistance continues to make the difference between success and failure," the U.N. official said.

Arnault said that in the past two months there has been a tangible increase in attacks, particularly in the south, with anti-government forces operating in small groups of 10 to 20 men and targeting Afghan police, civilian administration, private aid groups, and government representatives. But the level of violent opposition to the elections is "difficult to gauge," he said.

The total number of registered voters has reached 2.7 million, Arnault reported.

Voter registration has been completed in the eight major population centers and the registration has moved into the rest of the country, including -- with the help of a U.S. Marine unit -- the high-risk provinces of Uruzgan and Zabul, he said.

"Contrary to initial expectation, the participation of women has not dropped as voter registration expanded beyond the main urban centers," he said. Women's registration now accounts for about 38 percent of the registrations over the last two months.

Arnault also appealed for funding for the elections.

Voter registration is almost fully funded, with only $2.6 million still needed, but the election is "only very partially funded," he said. Of the $107.8 million needed to cover the presidential and parliamentary elections, $66.1 million was pledged in Berlin and only $27.7 million has been secured so far, he said.

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