Statement by H.E. Dr. M. Javad
Zarif
Permanent Representative of
the Islamic Republic of Iran
on 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
before the 57th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York, 6
December 2002
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In the name of God, the
Compassionate, the Merciful
Mr. President,
I wish to
begin by expressing my thanks to the Secretary General for his personal
commitment to Afghanistan and
for his quarterly comprehensive and informative reports, presented over the
past year on various aspects of the situation in Afghanistan. I would also like to
thank his Special Representative, Ambassador Lakhtar Brahimi, for his unsparing
undertakings for the restoration of peace and security to Afghanistan. Undoubtedly, the role
Ambassador Brahimi and his colleagues are playing is of great importance in bringing
about a lasting political settlement to the Afghan crisis.
Mr. President,
One
year after the conclusion of the Bonn Agreement, we can delightedly look back
and observe the considerable progress made by the Afghan people, lead by the President
Karzai and the Transitional Administration, towards restoring peace and
stability to their war-stricken country. In the past year, the Afghans
successfully completed or set in motion several key provisions of the Agreement.
Among them, the establishment of the Transitional Administration at the closing
of the successful Emergency Loya Jirga last June and the initiation of the
difficult institution-building process figure prominently.
The
developments, which followed the ouster of the Taliban and the dispersal of
Al-Qaeda, opened a realistic prospect for the establishment of a broad-based,
representative and multiethnic government in the Afghan society. We are delighted
to note that these developments have created a real hope for laying the ground
work enabling the Afghans to rebuild their country and reconstruct friendly ties
with their neighbors. For my Government, whose national security interest is best
served through the restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan, the new road the
Afghans are embarked upon is a cause for pleasure and delight. We are hopeful
that the new environment can sustain and lead to the resolution of endemic
problems in Afghanistan.
However,
there is rightfully a broad agreement within and outside Afghanistan that, despite the progress
achieved, there is no room for complacency. Very much to our chagrin as a
neighbor, the course of events in that country clearly demonstrates that
enemies of peace are yet to loose hope for obstructing the way to normalcy and
disrupting efforts to restore stability.
In various fields, including security and despite significant
progress, the Government’s efforts to extend its control and influence across
the country are yet to come to fruition. There are signs indicating that those
groups that are hostile to the peace process are sparing no efforts in reviving
their activities. The assassination attempt on President Karzai in September, the
murder of Vice-President Haji Qadir and several bombing incidents in Kabul and elsewhere demonstrate
the fragility of the situation. At the same time, these groups and individuals are
actively trying to take advantage of some popular frustration resulting from
the slow progress in some areas. They should not be allowed to challenge the
peace in Afghanistan.
Concerted efforts at local, regional and international levels are needed to address
problems and thwart these groups.
Given that the collapse of law and order is a key factor,
the extremist elements may benefit from the lingering centrifugal tendencies
and ongoing conflicts between rival groups in different regions. While some
headway in establishing the authority of the central government in some areas
such as Gardez is promising, in general attempts by the Government to persuade
the regional leaders to move to Kabul
and to put an end to the activities of armed groups in the country are yet to
be crowned with success.
In this context, the submission of revenues to the central
government by two regional leaders, including Ismael Khan of Herat, as referred to by the
Secretary-General, is still a sign of some progress and a step towards
strengthening the hand of the Central Government. It is noteworthy that
concurrently, as the Secretary-General indicates in his latest report, the
western region of Afghanistan,
along the Iranian borders, continues to be relatively calm. The efforts by the
Government to extend its influence beyond Kabul
along with a number of economic undertakings are in right direction and could
reinforce the political and economic unity of the country.
We concur with the Secretary-General that the most serious
challenge facing Afghanistan
today remains the lack of security, which in turn, creates a vicious circle reinforcing
the resistance towards giving up weapons. Therefore, the most urgent priority should
be the creation of a national army and police force. There is a need to
increase efforts in providing speedy international assistance for establishment
and deployment of Afghan national army and police force throughout the country.
Eventually, securing peace, security and order should be the responsibility of Afghan
national army and police. In contributing to this process, my Government has
thus far assisted the Afghan authorities by training 400 Afghan police.
Mr.
President,
We regret to learn from the Secretary-General’s report that
planting of the next year’s poppy crop has already begun. The UNDCP had already
estimated the poppy production to be 3400 metric tones this year. Undoubtedly,
the lack of livelihood and absence of viable economic alternatives could by no
means justify indulgence into poppy cultivation and drug trafficking. Hands of
international gangs and their local accomplices could be easily seen in the
drug business in Afghanistan.
It is obvious that the profits drawn from drug trafficking feed the activities
of extremist elements and centrifugal forces. Moreover, the illicit drug
smuggling networks served also as a conduit of illegal transfer of small arms,
explosives and human trafficking. While we commend the determination and efforts
by the Transitional Authority in dealing with traffickers in drug, we believe
that more forceful actions are still needed on the part of the Afghan
authorities and the international community.
In the face of the worrisome increase in opium production in
Afghanistan and yet apparent more dreadful picture that looms ahead, we believe
that the definition of a comprehensive anti-narcotics strategy should figure
prominently on the agenda of the Afghan authorities and the international
community. Such a strategy should address all aspect of the problem including alternative
development, enforcement policy, and demand reduction. The drug crisis, if
unchecked, may exacerbate the situation in Afghanistan and undermine and even reverse
the progress thus far achieved.
Mr.
President,
Over the past year, my Government demonstrated its
determination to develop a good and mutually beneficial relationship with the
new Government in Kabul,
based on mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence
and non-intervention into each other’s domestic affairs. The development of
such relations culminated at the exchange of presidential visits and the
conclusion of several agreements between the two countries, especially in the
economic field.
Moreover, in order to tap on regional resources and
capacities for reconstruction of Afghanistan,
in May a meeting of Ministers of Finance from Afghanistan,
Iran and Pakistan, organized by UNDP, was held in Tehran. The Ministers
signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for development and also
decided to establish a follow-up mechanism.
The return of 1.7 million refugees to their areas of origin in
Afghanistan
is a strong sign indicating the hope that the Afghans harbor. Yet, it is a
cause for concern that they don’t find an appropriate and bearable environment and
won’t be able to settle down and blend in. No doubt that the inset of winter is
to add to the difficulties and the imperative of further and expeditious
international humanitarian and reconstruction assistance.
As to the voluntary return of refugees from the Islamic
Republic of Iran to Afghanistan,
we are fully committed to the thorough implementation of the tri-lateral
agreement signed with the Afghan authorities and the UNHCR. At the same time,
and in line with our policy of combating terrorism, we stepped up security
measures along the common border and frontier areas, which leads frequently to
the arrest of undocumented Afghans and non-Afghans suspect of illegal
activities. Over the past years, we extradited hundreds of such detainees to
their governments.
Finally, Mr. President, reports indicating that specific
ethnic groups, particularly Pashtuns in western and northern Afghanistan, have continued to be
targeted and are victims of discrimination and violence is a cause for concern.
We believe that in an Afghan society where there is an urgent and pressing need
for healing wounds and closing ethnic gaps, such incidents could damage and
intoxicate the environment in which each and every Afghan from each and every
ethnic background should contribute to the restoration of peace and stability.
Let
me conclude by expressing our pleasure to co-sponsor draft resolution A/57/L…,
which highlights, inter alia, the international community's commitment towards
helping the Afghans rebuild their country. I would like to place on record our
appreciation to the distinguished Permanent Representative of Germany and his colleagues for
their excellent and professional work in carrying out the negotiations and
consultations for this draft resolution.
Thank you Mr.
President