Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-08-Speech-2-063"
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"Mr President, I am honoured and privileged to be speaking here before the European Parliament for the first time. Before beginning, like Mr Brie, I, too, wish to strongly condemn, on behalf of the Presidency, yesterday’s attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, which killed more than 40 civilians, including a number of embassy personnel, and injured hundreds. This attack sought to destabilise the consolidation and reconstruction process under way in Afghanistan. The European Union is fully determined to support the Afghan Government and the Afghan people in their efforts to build a stable and democratic state, and these tragic events highlight the importance and urgency of our discussions this morning.
In any event, these brief comments on the report presented by Parliament should not take away from the fact that in general the Council and Parliament have very similar views on the policy to be implemented in Afghanistan. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome and encourage the initiative presented in Mr Brie’s report aimed at strengthening the cooperation between the European Parliament and the Afghan Parliament.
For all these reasons the Union will continue to act and play a major role in mobilising the international community to assist Afghanistan. That goal formed the basis of the Council conclusions of 26 May, which were largely inspired by the worked carried out at the International Conference in support of Afghanistan held in Paris on 12 June. This Conference was a great success for Afghanistan, as it was for the European Union, which succeeded in putting across in full its positions on key aspects of the country’s development.
I should point out that a few months earlier, at the NATO Summit held in Bucharest from 2 to 4 April, the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, together with President Karzai and the UN Secretary-General, attended the meeting of Heads of State and Government on Afghanistan. The countries contributing to the IFAS, for which the EU Member States provide almost half of the personnel, adopted in Bucharest a new strategy for their common commitment guided by four principles, which I will mention here: a firm and shared long-term commitment; support for enhanced Afghan leadership and responsibility in security matters; a comprehensive approach by the international community to reconstruction; and a shared political strategy involving Afghanistan’s neighbours, especially Pakistan.
In conclusion, I would like to highlight certain areas where the European Union makes a significant contribution and where its action is essential for strengthening State capacities and consolidating the rule of law in Afghanistan. First of all, as you know, the Union has had a Special Representative since 2002 and that post is currently held by Mr Francesc Vendrell. The difficulties initially encountered when setting up the EUPOL mission, which were logistical in nature, have now been resolved. EUPOL is particularly involved in the reform of the Ministry of the Interior and in the development of a strategy for the Afghan police.
Finally, I wanted to point out that by deciding at the last General Affairs and External Relations Council on 26 May that its goal was to double the number of personnel involved in its Afghanistan police mission, the European Union sent a clear message to both its Afghan partners and the international community regarding its enhanced commitment to Afghanistan. This increase in the size of the EUPOL mission should improve the visibility and effectiveness of our action in the key sectors relating to police reform, in spite of the violent events that have taken place in recent days.
Like Parliament, the Council is convinced of the need for a long-term commitment in Afghanistan. Our objective must be to help the government to develop the structures needed for a modern and democratic state that can function properly, guarantee the safety of its citizens, respect the rule of law, and promote economic and social development.
I should point out that the combined effort of the Afghan authorities and the international community has produced some impressive results that should be highlighted: 25% decline in the infant mortality rate and 6 million children attending school, a third of whom are girls. In this respect, I must pay tribute to the work carried out by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner and by the Commission in general in this area and in all aspects relating to the restoration of the rule of law.
We must build on these successes, but we must be aware, too, of the extent of the challenges that lie ahead, especially those highlighted by Mr Brie: governance, insecurity, corruption and drugs, which go hand in hand and have a negative impact on the normal functioning of the institutions and the sustainable development of the country.
We must therefore work with our other partners in the drugs field to ensure the application of Security Council Resolution 1817, adopted on 11 June, which should enable the international community to step up the fight against trafficking in the precursor chemicals used to produce heroin.
Like Parliament, the Council places the utmost importance on the democratic process in Afghanistan. During the 2004 and 2005 elections the Afghan people opted very clearly and very determinedly for democracy and stability, and we must help them to establish the best possible conditions for the preparations for the forthcoming presidential election in 2009 and general election in 2010.
The Council was extremely interested in the report on Afghanistan presented by Parliament and summarised by Mr Brie, and wishes to highlight three specific aspects. The first is that the Council hopes that the Afghan Government will assume a greater share of the responsibility for Afghanistan’s reconstruction and development process. Moreover, in all areas emphasis should be placed on the Afghan people assuming their responsibilities and the need for guarantees in the area of good governance, hence the obligation on the Afghan authorities to fulfil their commitments in this respect.
Secondly, the Council underlines the importance of moving forward in close cooperation with the Afghan Government towards a single vision within the international community of how to achieve common objectives, ensuring in particular that the actions carried out are coherent in terms of their military and civil dimensions. That is the mandate given to the new United Nations Special Representative, Mr Kai Eide, and the Council wishes to express its full support for him in his mission. It is in the same context that the Council feels that it is necessary to strengthen the capacities of UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan) in order to extend its presence throughout the territory, notably in the south and west of the country.
Our third and final observation concerning Mr Brie’s report is that it is essential to improve cooperation and relations between Afghanistan and its neighbours in order to ensure permanent stability in the country, especially given the multi-dimensional nature of some of the problems clearly highlighted by Mr Brie, notably drug production and trafficking."@en1
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