Statement by
H.E. Dr. M. Javad Zarif,
Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran
before the Security Council
on the Situation in Afghanistan
New York- August 23, 2005
........................................
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Mr.
President,
I wish to
begin by congratulating you on the assumption of the presidency of the Council for
this month and thank you for having convened this open debate on the situation
in Afghanistan. This is an issue in which not only the Afghan
people and Afghanistan's
neighboring countries, but also the entire international community has an
enormous stake. I also wish to thank the Secretary-General for his
comprehensive and valuable report on recent developments in Afghanistan. Indeed, the efforts
and dedication of the Secretary General and his Special Representative Mr. Jean
Arnault deserve our profound admiration and support. We firmly believe that
such commitment is indispensable in the strive of the Afghan people and Government
for peace, security and development.
Mr.
President,
After
successfully meeting several milestones set by the Bonn Agreement, the Afghan
people and Government are resolutely heading towards another major benchmark by
preparing for timely, fair and free parliamentary and provincial council elections
in September this year. Despite the enormity of the task, we are confident that
the Afghan people, ably led by President Karzai and benefiting from international
and regional assistance, will be capable of bringing the process to a
successful conclusion. The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready, as always, to
extend its unreserved cooperation to the Government of Afghanistan in the
successful holding of these elections.
Mr.
President,
The recent
report of the Secretary General on Afghanistan refers to the progress
made and reforms planed in the economic and social fields, particularly in
public administration, fiscal management and national education system. As
mentioned in the report, over the past three and a half years, significant
economic growth has taken place in the urban centers and food security has
improved, with record crop yields. Certain positive steps have also been taken
regarding the development of national budget, adoption of a new currency,
reopening of the schools across the country, providing educational
opportunities for millions of children, the enrolment of female students and
many other positive and encouraging developments in different social, political
and economic fields, for the completion of which the Afghan people and
Government deserve our collective admiration.
However, despite
these commendable efforts and achievements, there is no room for complacency
and much remains to be done, since major daunting challenges still lie ahead. Different
hurdles in the way of economic and developmental progress in Afghanistan,
including inter alia a pervasive drug economy, coupled with the burden
of terrorism and violent insurgency has burdened the reconstruction of the
country with a truly formidable combination of challenges. The host of problems
that Afghanistan
is facing in these fields, if unchecked, may disrupt the smooth return of the
country to peace and stability. Indeed, the completion of the political
transition is a vital step, but, as mentioned in the Secretary General's
report, this alone will not be sufficient for the establishment of lasting
peace in Afghanistan.
It will certainly require long-term commitment on the part of the international
community to see the process of economic development along with reconstruction
and rehabilitation of Afghanistan
to a successful conclusion. By the same token, we support the idea of the
Secretary General that the international donor community must resist the
temptation to move on after the holding of the elections.
Mr.
President,
As mentioned
by the Secretary General in his report, the Security situation in Afghanistan
remains to be of paramount concern. As security is a prerequisite to ensuring
development in the area of political and economic reconstruction of the country,
my Government is concerned about the increase in insurgency and terrorist
threats in Afghanistan, particularly in south and south-eastern part of that
country, mostly posed by the remnants of the Taliban and Al-Qaida as well as drug
traffickers.
We believe that
in combating the elements of disorder in Afghanistan, priority should be placed on enhancing the capabilities of the
Afghan national Army and Police and the expansion of the authority of the
central government across the country. It is the best way to provide security
throughout Afghanistan
and help contain the terrorist threat.
In our view
the impact of a pervasive drug economy on the reconstruction of Afghanistan and
the fact that terrorism and insurgency feed on drug trafficking should always
be kept in sight. Undoubtedly, insecurity and drug trafficking in Afghanistan are
mutually reinforcing, while at the same time both exacerbate the other forms of
transnational crimes. We believe, therefore, that continued increase in the
cultivation, production and trafficking in narcotics in Afghanistan is twice as alarming.
Unfortunately,
the cultivation and trafficking of opium is constantly on the rise, providing
nearly 87 per cent of the world’s total supply. The scale and proliferation of these
activities, as mentioned in the report at hand, undermine development, the rule
of law and effective governance in Afghanistan. The money generated
from narcotics production and trafficking is used to fund terrorism.
Moreover, opium cultivation in Afghanistan jeopardizes regional
stability and adversely affects social order in the neighboring countries. We
fully agree with the Secretary General that widespread availability of drugs
tends to increase local and regional addiction rates, contributing to the spread
of diseases such as AIDS throughout the country and the larger region.
We note and welcome the steps that the Afghan
Government has taken, with the support of the international community, to
contain the threat of narcotic drugs. These are important and valuable
initiatives which we fully support. However, as indicated in the report of the
Secretary General, the magnitude of the trade and the immense wealth that it generates
suggest that combating it will be a long-term endeavor requiring a multifaceted
and resolute strategy adapted to the varying conditions. We also agree with the
Secretary General that Afghanistan must develop and implement such a strategy
in close cooperation with the international community and further believe that
the United States as a country with the widest military presence in Afghanistan
and the UK as the lead nation in combating drugs there have a special
responsibility and should play a more resolute role in combating this menace.
Mr. President,
Situated on the smuggling route from Afghanistan
to Europe and beyond, Iran
has done much more than its share in fighting a costly war against heavily
armed drug traffickers in the last two decades, losing, inter alia,
close to 3400 law enforcement personnel in the process. Nonetheless, we stand
ready to stay at the forefront of the world-wide war against drug. We have sincerely
cooperated with the international community in fighting opium cultivation in Afghanistan and
have, furthermore, tried to promote and implement crop substitution projects in
different parts of that country.
Despite all sincere efforts undertaken by the Afghan Government,
assisted by the international community, in combating the scourge of narcotic drugs,
we can't conceal that our expectations are yet to be met. While certain efforts
by the Government of Afghanistan have resulted in the reduction of opium
cultivation in some regions traditionally famous for opium producing, it is
beyond comprehension as to why, at the same time, opium cultivation should
increase in the regions bordering my country, especially in the Farah province.
It is a development that arouses our grave concern. Correspondingly, despite
our costly campaign, we witness an increase in drug trafficking emanating from Afghanistan
over the past year. For Iran
to sustain its ongoing fierce fight against drug trafficking, international
support and especially cooperation of neighboring countries are indispensable.
There is a pressing need for sending an unequivocal message that all States are
united in the face of
this threat.
Mr. President,
As the opium cultivation has turned into a major source of income for many afghan
farmers, we believe that the major cure lies in accelerating the pace of the Afghan
reconstruction in all fields. Thus, the international community should also
redouble its efforts in providing international assistance for the
reconstruction of Afghanistan.
By pledging to allocate a credit amounting to 560 million dollars to this end,
in the Tokyo Conference, which is the highest pledge, in terms of the per
capita income of the donor countries, Iran is actively playing its role. In
fulfilling its pledge, Iran
has been engaged in various infrastructure activities in Afghanistan,
including in electricity projects, road construction, man power training and
humanitarian services. In general, Iran’s
contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan has so far amounted to
170 million dollars. At the same time, we are also engaged in many projects
both in Iran and Afghanistan to
help promote foreign trade of this landlocked country. It may be worth
mentioning that the construction of a 123 KM road from Dogharoon to Herat and the 320 meters long Milak
Bridge, both funded and constructed by
Iran, are only two examples
of my country’s serious engagement in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. A
number of smaller projects, particularly in supplying electric power, have also
been inaugurated in order to help 4000 Afghan families living in the vicinity
of the Iran-Afghan border. Iran
also extended full cooperation to the relevant United Nations bodies and other
international organizations as well as the Government of Afghanistan in the
process of out-of-country participation of Afghan refugees in Iran to the
presidential elections of October 9, 2004. The Afghan refugees in Iran were able to cast their votes in
approximately 1000 poling stations in 250 locations in Iran's seven
major cities country.
Mr. President,
The Islamic republic
of Iran hosted almost 3
million Afghan refugees for about three decades, incurring huge costs in the
process. Our expectation that in the new era, and with the cooperation of the
international community and the Afghan government, the voluntary repatriation
of the refugees could occur in a more timely manner is yet to be met. Despite
the implementation of the tri-lateral agreement, signed with the Afghan
Government and the UNHCR, and the implementation of several programs in this
respect, this process is not progressing satisfactorily. In our view, it is
imperative that the Afghan Government and the international community adopt a
more thorough approach to create a stable basis to facilitate the voluntary return
of the refugees.
I should not close my statement, Mr. President, without reaffirming our determination
to continue to help the Afghan Government and people to overcome the huge
challenges they still face, and to smoothly go through the remaining stages of
their political, developmental and reconstruction process. The international
community should also foster closer and broader cooperation, under the auspices
of this world Organization, towards the consolidation of peace, security and
stability in Afghanistan.