Remarks by H.E. Dr. M. Javad Zarif,

Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran

at the International Meeting on Afghanistan

New York, 18 November 1996

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. Secretary-General,

Distinguished Colleagues,

Let me begin by registering our appreciation to you, Mr. Secretary-General, for the timely initiative to convene this important meeting following recent escalation of violence in Afghanistan. I wish also to put n record our general support for your efforts as outlined in your important introductory statement. I would also like to express our thanks to your colleagues in the Secretariat and specially to Dr. Holl and his colleagues in the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan for their useful reports and tireless and commendable efforts in this regard.

The heroic and resilient people of Afghanistan are in fact the major remaining victims of the cold war long after its demise; a legacy which has left behind a vicious cycle of war and violence. Therefore, it is the moral duty of the international community to pay particular attention to this unfolding human tragedy, which has had at the same time far-reaching implications for regional stability and international peace and security.

Seventeen years of war in Afghanistan has resulted in massive loss of human life and deprivation of Afghan people of all their basic human rights, and above all, their right to life. Afghanistan continues to face human disasters, massive destruction and economic bankruptcy. The plight of the millions of Afghan refugees and internally displaced persons has deteriorated persistently.

Recent escalation of fighting represents yet another manifestation of the triumph of the same logic of violence over negotiations and reconciliation. Misguided attempts to bring about a military victory in the country have further complicated the problems and entrenched rival positions. Involvement of foreign powers has indeed added even more dangerous dimensions to an already complex issue. More tragically, the search for a solution in Afghanistan has become a hostage to extraneous and indeed irrelevant considerations.

In the meantime, the plight of Afghan people continues to deteriorate. The approaching harsh winter looms too near. The shortage of food, fuel and other humanitarian necessities in most parts of this war-torn country is another disaster waiting to happen, victimizing the most vulnerable segments of Afghan population. And as if the suffering was not already enough, we see more and more reports of massive violations of human rights, particularly deprivation of women and girls of their most elemental human rights in Kabul and other areas under Taliban control. Fundamental Islamic principles regarding the role and value of women are being trampled upon in the most brute form regrettably in the name of Islam. The shocking statistics provided by Mr. Akashi on the humanitarian consequences of this behavior in terms of a 300% increase in the number of mine casualties due to the closure of women mine-awareness training centers show the imperative of addressing this issue seriously.

The recent escalation of hostilities coupled with new excessively restrictive measures in Kabul and other areas under Taliban control have also caused an interruption in the already slow process of voluntary repatriation of refugees to their country. Even a movement in the opposite direction is clearly noticeable. Reports of new arrivals in Iran and other neighboring countries create an even dimmer picture as we approach the harsh winter. Last week, the UNHCR announced that in northwestern Afghanistan fierce fighting had forced more than 70000 Afghans to flee their homes, a number of them crossing into neighboring countries.

In addition, the neighboring countries continue to be preoccupied with instability and insecurity along their borders with Afghanistan. In this connection, reference should to be made, inter alia, to illegal movement of criminals and illicit traffic in arms and narcotics. The available evidence and information suggest that under the currently prevailing circumstances poppy cultivation in Afghanistan and diversion of opium and its derivatives to the international market via neighboring countries is going to be an even more threatening menace. In the final analysis, the international community can never consider itself immune from the destructive side-effects of the civil strife in Afghanistan as a source of insecurity and instability.

The United Nations, its Special Mission to Afghanistan and the Organization of the Islamic Conference have been making commendable efforts for restoration of peace and normalcy in Afghanistan, which must continue with even greater vigor, resolve and impartiality. It is important to underline the positive complimentary role that OIC and regional mechanisms can play in finding a solution to this problem. It must always be born in mind that peace-making in Afghanistan has proven over the past decade to be a most complex task, requiring in-depth knowledge of the root causes of the civil war. Experience has proven that while cessation and containment of hostilities constitute noble objectives which must be actively pursued, they will remain illusive and temporary if not seen within the overall framework of a comprehensive solution, namely a pragmatic process towards the establishment of a broad-based government. In the application of interim measures, care, impartiality and foresight are key elements for ensuring complementarity and eventual contribution to the objective of a lasting political solution. In this context, demilitarization of Kabul can be considered as an important first step which should be planned and negotiated together with an innovative interim administrative mechanism for the city. Other interim measures for containment such as an arms embargo should be assessed together with the necessary monitoring resources, including man-power, which would be required to supervise compliance not only at the airports but also on land along the long and poorly guarded borders. The United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan in consultation with an institutionalized form of this grouping of countries provide the appropriate framework for serious analysis, deliberation, planning and implementation of a comprehensive package.

Restoration of peace through dialogue requires positive contribution and encouragement on the part of regional countries as well as the international community. The Islamic Republic of Iran, even during the most difficult years, has spared no effort to assist Afghanistan in its struggle for political independence, peace, reconciliation and national unity, while hosting, without proper international burden-sharing, millions of Afghan refugees, providing them with jobs and equal opportunities without restricting them in camps.

Since the inception of the civil war, Iran has maintained contact with various groups and tendencies in Afghanistan and has consistently used its infuence to encourage dialogue and reconciliation both within Afghanistan and between Afghanistan and its neighbors. Our approach has been founded on the principle that there could be no military solution to the conflict, and that the only way out of the persistent cycle of violence and fratricide consists of not only cessation of hostilities, but more importantly commencement of negotiations among all Afghan parties as well as all segments of Afghan society aimed at a broad-based government of national unity.

In this context, and gravely concerned by recent escalation of fighting in Afghanistan and its detrimental implications for inter-Afghan reconciliation and for regional and international peace and security, we carried out extensive consultations with all regional countries through which we found unanimous support for holding a Regional Conference on Afghanistan. Consequently, the Regional Conference on Afghanistan was convened in Tehran on October 29 and 30, 1996. This Conference provided a unique opportunity to the countries which are more directly subjected to the side-effects and instability emanating from protracted civil strife in Afghanistan to exchange views, express their collective support for the ongoing peace-making efforts of the United Nations, and most importantly, send a strong signal to all warring groups in Afghanistan that regional countries are united in their insistence on a prompt end to the devastating vicious circle of violence and fratricide. The Tehran Declaration, consisting of principles and follow-up measures, has already been circulated as a UN document.

In our view, as I stated earlier, cooperation and coordination among neighbors of Afghanistan are indispensable to the success of international efforts to bring about reconciliation and a durable end to bloodshed. Such a regional coordination mechanism would significantly reduce mistrust, harmonizing various initiatives of the regional countries to bring about dialogue between Afghan groups.

At the same time, we believe that there is much more that can be done at the global level, particularly within this setting and in the framework of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan which has received its mandate from the General Assembly.

First, it is important to stress that these consultations will enable countries with interest and influence in Afghanistan to exchange views and find common grounds for joint action to bring this nightmare to an end. Thus, we believe that there is much utility and wisdom in the continuation of such meetings organized and led by the Secretary-General at various levels. We can also envisage regular coordinating meetings of this group, which can be called Friends of the Secretary-General, at the ambassadorial level here in New York.

Secondly, we believe that Friends of the Secretary-General should establish certain principles to govern their collective as well as individual behavior towards the human tragedy in Afghanistan. A non-exhaustive indicative list of these principles may emerge from this meeting. In our view such a list should include:

Respect for sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Afghanistan;

Rejection of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Afghanistan, and joint commitment by all participants to refrain from such interference or provision of weapons to various parties;

Imperative of respect for human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls;

Rejection of any military solution to Afghan problem; and

Imperative of cessation of hostilities and inter-Afghan dialogue and reconciliation with participation of all political and ethnic tendencies and groups in the country, which should constitute the criteria for evaluation of behavior of various groups and parties.

We believe these principles which have been reaffirmed in General Assembly Resolution 50/88 and Security Council Resolution 1076 should serve as a basis for the international community including the UN and the OIC in their approach to the crisis in Afghanistan.

Thirdly, we should all encourage and support active engagement of the United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan to find a political solution through maintaining and establishing contact with all groups and tendencies inside Afghanistan and with neighboring countries. Such a solution should be based on acceptable practical measures that aim at breaking the vicious circle of violence. Thus, the objective should be to address and hopefully change the logic of interactions in Afghanistan, not merely its modalities and temporary manifestations.

Concurrent with actions which should be taken for political settlement of the conflict, the ever-worsening humanitarian conditions of the Afghan people should be urgently addressed. The reports from inside Afghanistan indicate that, following the recent escalation of conflicts, shortage of basic necessities such as foodstuff, fuel, medicine and shelters is becoming more acute. Given the approaching winter, if the international community fails to provide the Afghan people with necessary humanitarian assistance, we will all face humanitarian disasters of even greater dimension. Thus, we should launch here a coordinated campaign to draw the attention of all countries and international agencies to the bitter realities and the dire humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and to ensure an expeditious and generous response, while at the same time arranging for proper and uninterrupted delivery and distribution by the UN and associated agencies.

Finally, there is a great deal of merit in beginning to address the reconstruction of war-torn Afghanistan. We believe that concrete measures as well as substantive pledges of contributions for reconstruction will provide hope, a real alternative to the war economy and a serious incentive for peace.