Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-07-08-Speech-2-088"
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"en.20080708.5.2-088"2
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"Madam President, Mr Brie, Commissioner, my friend Benita, ladies and gentlemen, I would once again like to express my support for Mr Brie’s report and my satisfaction that there is such a wide consensus on the fact that Afghanistan needs more security in the broad sense and more governance at what is a particularly difficult time, as you all pointed out.
Our discussion has highlighted the fact that we are dealing with a very complex situation, which requires more than just a military solution; that we are facing an extremely difficult situation; that the international community needs to make a long-term commitment, which is necessary and a critical element for the European Union, as you said; that it will take a long time to raise the people’s hopes; and that when it comes to governance in particular, as the Commission pointed out, we must concentrate on the preparations for the forthcoming elections. For its part, the Council is of course going to continue to monitor the election preparations very carefully.
As regards the governance-related aspects, respect for the rule of law and for everything related to our traditions is not a dividing element; we must also tell the Afghan authorities this.
As regards the security rules and presence on the ground, I should point out that EU personnel account for more than 50% of the IFAS and the Council will concentrate on four priority areas over the coming months. The first priority will be to implement the substantial increase in EUPOL personnel decided on at the Council of 26 May. Clearly, all aspects relating to police effectiveness are important and Parliament is right to be concerned about this.
Secondly, the Council will endeavour to monitor the implementation of the conclusions of the International Conference in support of Afghanistan: the European Union must play a key role in this respect given its financial contribution.
Thirdly, the European Union must stress the need to improve relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan – as several of you mentioned – and to encourage both countries to continue to work actively to strengthen their cooperation, notably in the fight against the common challenge posed by terrorism and in all matters relating to drug trafficking.
In conclusion, it is important for the Council and the Commission to have the European Parliament’s full support in this matter, which is critical for the international community and – as several of you also highlighted – for the future of Europe."@en1
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