|
Statement by New York, 28 November 2005 Mr. President, Indonesia is pleased to address the Assembly on the situation in Afghanistan and my delegation would like to express its appreciation to the Secretary-General for providing us with his comprehensive report concerning “The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security” and “Emergency international assistance for peace, normalcy and reconstruction of war-stricken Afghanistan.” Mr. President, The report provides us with a clear understanding of the political process in Afghanistan in general, particularly with reference to the implementation of the Bonn Agreement. On the whole, we are gratified that general progress is being made, although not in a uniform pace. While we observed the progress made in the institutional building process at the central government level, we recognized that some difficulties continue to be a challenge, particularly at the provincial and district levels. Similarly, efforts to reform security sector institutions have yet to enjoy a reassuring degree of success. The security situation is particularly disturbing, with an increase in the sophistication of weapons used and in the type of attacks being carried out by insurgents and anti-government elements in some parts of the country. Other areas of critical concern include the cultivation of and trade in narcotics. This issue continues to imperil the establishment of the rule of law and effective governance in Afghanistan, despite the best efforts made by the country’s counter-narcotic authorities. We share the view that this menace must be brought under control in order to protect the fragile democratization and the success of State-building in Afghanistan. Despite all this, we are pleased at
the successful completion of various efforts that have been undertaken
by the Afghan Government, such as the disarmament and demobilization
components of the DDR programme; the progress of the Afghan National
Army, which was due to reach its target strength of 43,000 ahead of
schedule by September 2007; the training of over 40,000 police officers
and the proposed major police reform; and the work of the Afghan Independent
Human Rights Commission, which is reported to be having a significant
positive impact on the protection and promotion of human rights in
the country. It is against this background that Afghanistan held general elections last September to choose a national assembly and local councils for the country’s 34 provinces. Only last week, the final results of the parliamentary and provincial council elections were confirmed. It paves the way for the timely inauguration of the new parliament and the conclusion of Afghanistan’s transitional political phase. In this regard, my delegation is pleased at the successful outcome of the election process and calls on the international community to remain engaged and committed to helping Afghanistan to address the remaining challenges in other areas. While my delegation is gratified by the successful conclusions of the elections of the Wolesi Jirga, we look forward to the constitutional and prompt filling of positions in the House of Elders or Meshrano Jirga. We further look forward to the consultations to be initiated by the Secretary-General with the Government of Afghanistan and other relevant institutions towards determining the political way forward. In the interim, we call for continued cooperation and commitment by the international community in support of the Afghanistan Government and people. In this context, Indonesia joined as a co-sponsor of the draft resolution as contained in document A/60/L.27, which we hope it can be adopted by consensus. I thank you, Mr. President.
|
