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 60th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

New York , November 28, 2005
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Mr. President,

I wish to begin by extending our gratitude to the Secretary General for his informative and comprehensive reports on various aspects of the situation in Afghanistan, in particular the most recent report contained in document A/60/224. Indeed, the unwavering commitment and the perseverance of the Secretary General along with the central role that he and his Special Representative continue to play for the consolidation of peace and stability in Afghanistan merit our profound appreciation and support.

Mr. President,

The holding of the parliamentary and provincial council elections on 18 September 2005, which led to the completion of the Bonn process, was yet another occasion on which the Afghan people demonstrated their firm commitment towards a stable and democratic future for their country. We hope that this important milestone in the political process of Afghanistan will substantially contribute to the improvement of the economic, social, political and security situation of the country and will lead to the establishment of an efficient parliament as an indispensable foundation for democracy. For its part, Iran has expressed its readiness to contribute to this important process.

Mr. President,

The most recent report of the Secretary General on Afghanistan highlights a number of promising improvements in the economic and social fields. This, particularly, includes continued progresses in public administration, national education system as well as in financial and fiscal fields. As indicated in the report, Afghanistan has experienced considerable economic growth in the urban centers in recent years, and its food security has improved. Certain positive steps have also been taken regarding the development of national budget, adoption of a new currency, reopening of schools across the country, and providing educational opportunities for millions of children. Moreover, encouraging progress has been reported since the commencement of the process of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration. Afghanistan has also witnessed the development of its new professional national army and police; and as the report indicates, Afghan National Army will reach its target strength by September 2007, three years ahead of schedule. Also significant funding has been proposed for a major new police reform and mentoring programme.

These developments, coupled with the progress made in the creation of a new justice system and adoption of the first report on the Millennium Development Goals by the Government of Afghanistan, are reasons to be confident that the country is moving in the right direction. These are, at the same time, signs of the continuing and growing ownership of the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts by the Government of Afghanistan which needs to expand this national ownership to all fields of governance in the country.

Mr. President,

Despite these impressive accomplishments, much remains to be done. As mentioned by the Secretary General in his report, the security situation in Afghanistan and the threat of opium production and drug trafficking continue to be of grave concern. Increased terrorist attacks and violent insurgency, particularly in the south and in parts of the east of Afghanistan, caused by Al-Qaida and the Taliban, coupled with a pervasive drug economy, have created alarming challenges that seriously undermine the security and thus hamper the reconstruction of the country.

Continuation of acts of violence and intimidation directed against development and humanitarian and United Nations personnel is yet another issue of grave concern which needs to be thoroughly tackled. The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the continued heinous terrorist acts committed in Afghanistan and extends its full support to efforts of the Afghan Government to improve the security situation in the country.

The cultivation, production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs in Afghanistan, which adversely affect the political and economic reconstruction of the country and undermine the stability and security of the larger region especially neighboring countries, continue unabated. As the UNODC Executive Director has explained in the latest Afghan Opium Survey, Afghanistan remains the world's largest supplier of opium by producing 87 per cent of the world's opium.

In our view, the impact of a pervasive drug economy on the security, rehabilitation and reconstruction of Afghanistan and the fact that terrorism and insurgency feed on drug trafficking, should always be kept in sight in all endeavors to address the security situation and reconstruction of Afghanistan. It is crystal clear that insecurity and drug trafficking in Afghanistan are mutually reinforcing, while at the same time both contribute to the other forms of national and transnational crimes. There are abundant reasons to believe that production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs underpin the other threats which contribute to the insecurity in Afghanistan, namely; terrorism, organized crimes and most other violent and criminal activities. Therefore, combating this problem should be high on the agenda of the Afghan Government and the international community in all efforts and initiatives to address the country’s security and reconstruction challenges.

We have welcomed and firmly supported the valuable and sincere steps that the Afghan Government has thus far taken to contain the threat of narcotic drugs, including the efforts made to develop a strategic framework to improve coordination among actors in the counter-narcotics endeavor. Nevertheless, and as indicated in the report of the Secretary General, the magnitude of the drug trade and the immense wealth that it generates suggest that combating it will need a long-term multifaceted strategy and planning based on varying conditions and circumstances. We fully agree with the Secretary General that Afghanistan must develop and implement such a strategy in close cooperation with the international community. We, further, believe that the countries with the widest military presence in Afghanistan have a special responsibility to resolutely prevent and counter this menace.

Moreover, while certain efforts by the Government of Afghanistan have resulted in the reduction of opium cultivation in some regions traditionally famous for opium producing, opium cultivation has increased in the regions bordering my country, especially in the Farah province. As a matter of fact, despite our costly campaign, we have witnessed an increase in the drug trafficking in Iran 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. The Islamic Republic of Iran, located on the smuggling route from Afghanistan to Europe-in the north- and Persian Gulf -in the south- and beyond, has endured much more than its share in fighting a costly and deadly war against heavily armed drug traffickers in the last two decades, losing close to 3400 law enforcement personnel in the process. Nonetheless, we continue to be resolute at the forefront of the world-wide war against drugs. We have also sincerely cooperated with the international community in fighting opium cultivation in Afghanistan and have helped to promote and implement crop substitution projects in different parts of that country.

Mr. President

We are of the view that the major way out of this menace lies mostly in accelerating the pace of the Afghanistan’s reconstruction in all fields, since opium cultivation has become a major source of income for many afghan farmers. Accordingly, the international community should also redouble its efforts in providing assistance for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Republic of Iran, by pledging 560 million dollars credit to the reconstruction of Afghanistan in the Tokyo Conference, which is the highest pledge in terms of the per capita income of the donor countries, is earnestly playing its role in this regard. In fulfilling its pledge, Iran has been engaged in various infrastructure activities in Afghanistan, including in road construction, man power training, electricity projects, humanitarian services and many other projects. In general, Iran’s contribution to the reconstruction of Afghanistan has so far amounted to more than 180 million dollars.

Furthermore, Iran has endured huge costs during the past three decades by hosting almost 3 million Afghan refugees. We earnestly hope that the new conditions in Afghanistan would facilitate the voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees to their home country in a timelier and more promising manner. We believe that timely and full implementation of the tri-lateral agreement, signed between Iran, Afghanistan and the UNHCR, as well as other respective arrangements are imperative to help a meaningful and dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees to their homeland. Iran stands ready to fully cooperate with the Government of Afghanistan and the international community towards reaching this objective.

Mr. President,

After successfully meeting the final political milestone set by the Bonn Agreement, through holding the parliamentary and provincial council elections, the Afghan people and Government are now resolutely heading towards yet another major chapter in the history of their country, namely the “post -Bonn process”. The international community, with the United Nations at the forefront, should continue its support to the Government and people of Afghanistan in a coordinated manner, as they rebuild their country and strive to find their rightful place in the community of nations. The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue to extend its unreserved cooperation to the Government of Afghanistan in the “post- Bonn process” period.

In the same vein, we welcome and support the key principles, set out in the recent report of the Secretary General, for cooperation between the Government of Afghanistan and the international community during the post-Bonn process, including the leadership role of Afghanistan in the reconstruction process, the just allocation of domestic and international reconstruction resources across the country, regional cooperation, lasting capacity- and institution-building, combating corruption , promotion of transparency and accountability, public information and participation, and the continued central role of the United Nations.

We believe that production of and trafficking in narcotic drugs as well as the safe, orderly and voluntary return of refugees are two other key elements of equal importance that need to be considered in the cooperation between the Government of Afghanistan and the international community in the “post – Bonn process”.

I should not conclude, Mr. President, without reiterating the unwavering resolve of my country to continue to help the Afghan Government and people in their endeavors to overcome the daunting challenge they still have ahead. Therefore, my delegation has joined the co-sponsors of the draft resolution A/60/L. 27.

Thank you Mr. President.