Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-15-Speech-3-010"
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"en.20030115.1.3-010"2
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"Mr President, to those who have been there, who have stood on the mountains, who know the people, Afghanistan is a beautiful country. The Afghan people are a strong people who deserve our support. The liberation of Afghanistan by the international coalition against terrorism, against the Taliban and against the Al-Qaida network has fortunately been very successful. Commissioner Patten has rightly said that this is in no small measure thanks to the efforts of the European Union. There is a new provisional government, and no fewer than 1.8 million Afghans have returned after what has, for many, been decades of forced exile abroad, and thousands of girls and women once again have the opportunity to enjoy an education in Afghanistan. At the same time, this success is being threatened by the diversion of some of the very important international players to a new playground – Iraq. It would be very tragic if the international coalition against terrorism were to allow itself to become divided and diverted towards Iraq. We now specifically want the international coalition to give us extra support for Afghanistan and to concentrate on it, as it has rightly been pointed out in this context that we could otherwise lose ground.
The Afghan transitional administration, the ATA, under the leadership of President Karzai, has control over the capital, Kabul, with the help of the ISAF, but in reality the warlords still play far too great a role in the various regions of the country such as Herat. Human rights, women’s rights and reconstruction are threatened on a daily basis in these regions. The first and most important priority must be to extend the ISAF’s mandate so as to help the ATA to build up a national army that will cover the whole of Afghanistan. Starting in February, the Netherlands and Germany will be playing a leading role in the ISAF forces on behalf of Europe, hopefully with a mandate that will actually demobilise the warlords, build up the national army and re-establish authority over the whole of Afghanistan. The important agreement which Afghanistan concluded with its neighbours on 22 December last year should thus also be given another chance. Only then will Afghans have sufficient trust, and only then will they have the opportunity to take the reconstruction into their own hands.
Almost two million refugees have returned, and 700 000 are trekking around inside Afghanistan – in other words, they are internally displaced. That is why it is so very important that we actually give substance to the reconstruction that Commissioner Patten was talking about and that has now begun, with the cooperation of local forces, particularly in the area of education and healthcare, giving priority to women and girls.
Free and fair elections must be held and a new constitution prepared in 2004. The preparations for these elections are essential, as this is the way to actually establish a broad gender-sensitive, multi-ethnic and representative government.
Tremendous steps have been taken. A human rights committee has been set up, a central bank has been established and a constitutional committee has been set up, but much ground may still be lost, as General Morillon rightly said. I therefore very strongly support the view of the Greek Presidency and of Commissioner Patten. Let us use the substantial amounts we have at our disposal for the coming year, coupled with our effort, in a focused way. Given everything that is happening elsewhere in the world, we must make a success of Afghanistan now. That will only work if we maintain this focus during the coming year."@en1
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