Verbal briefing by Mr. Tom Koenigs
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan
to the United Nations Security Council on the Situation in Afghanistan

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Mr. President,
Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Thank you for this opportunity to report on the situation in Afghanistan during your deliberations concerning the renewal of UNAMA's mandate. The written report of the Secretary-General describes key events of the past six months together with proposals for adjustments to that mandate.

My remarks will focus on developments since Under- Secretary-General Guehenno’s last briefing to you on February 10 and on prospects for the Afghanistan Compact.

As you know, the London Conference on Afghanistan held on January 31 and February 1 reaffirmed the strong commitment of the international community to support Afghanistan for the next five years and beyond. In many respects, the benchmarks and timeframes laid down by the Afghanistan Compact are as ambitious and more wide-ranging than those of the Bonn Agreement.

By endorsing the Compact as the framework for international partnership with Afghanistan over the next five years, the Council recognized the mutual obligations and discipline that is needed to ensure the implementation of this roadmap – one aiming to improve the lives of Afghans.

It is already clear that two priorities will be pivotal to the success of this agenda. First, Afghan institutions on all levels must be strengthened to the point where they are effective enough to deliver basic services. Second, our strategy for tackling hard security challenges must evolve to meet outstanding threats.

Political Developments
The first months of work by the new National Assembly have demonstrated the promise of Afghanistan’s new institutions. Both houses have established rules of procedure and sector-based commissions. Security and development issues have been freely debated. On February 27 the Wolesi Jirga decided to question and confirm cabinet ministers on an individual basis.

The coming months will test the ability of the Afghan government and parliament to work constructively to adopt a new budget, agree on the composition of the new cabinet and forge a legislative agenda that reflects national priorities under the new Compact. An assembly of all provincial councils in Kabul in early March showed the determination of these elected representatives to deliver early results.

The political agenda is also increasingly focused on the justice-related issues. President Karzai has indicated his determination to significantly renew Afghanistan’s Supreme Court. He has also agreed to launch the Action Plan on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation together with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and myself in the coming weeks. In the meantime, initiatives to deal with past crimes in Afghanistan are gaining momentum. In a much publicized case, a former head of intelligence in 1978 and 1979 was sentenced to death on February 25, 2006 by the National Security Primary Court for his part in the assassination of prisoners. The trial was closely followed by Afghans and was criticized for failing to conform to international standards of due process. It nevertheless illustrates the strong aspiration of Afghans to truth and justice with respect to the crimes committed over decades of violent conflict.

Security developments
Mr. President,
The bomb attack in Kabul directed against Meshrano Jirga Speaker and former President Mojadeddi two days ago, illustrated the importance that Afghanistan’s enemies continue to attach to disrupting the democratic process by violent means. This attack was emblematic of national trends with regard to security which continue to be a serious concern.

The winter months of 2005 and 2006 have witnessed a rise in insurgent and terrorist attacks and more sophisticated tactics. There has been a marked increase in the incidence of larger and more deadly explosive devices, including suicide bombings, particularly in the south and east of the country. The perpetrators of these attacks have shown a growing intent to target civilians, government officials and reconstruction workers such as road-builders. The recent kidnapping of four foreigners in Helmand province and an unconfirmed report of the Taliban claiming to have killed them, is also of great concern in this respect.

The prevalence of these attacks in Farah, Helmand, Kandahar, Kunar and elsewhere points to the persistence and even consolidation of the command and control networks of Taliban, al Qaida and associated groups in the region. Any resolution of this challenge will require redoubled international efforts to dismantle terrorist structures that represent a common threat to the security of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

There are also security concerns in provinces less affected by insurgency and terrorism. In Farah province, the senseless killing on March 4 of Afghan engineer Mohammad Hashim, a contractor to UN Habitat, has shocked and saddened the UN family. In Helmand and Nangarhar provinces, large-scale poppy eradication efforts have encountered determined resistance.

At the same time the Afghan government has moved to address these threats both by policy and successful crisis management. At a seminar held in Kabul from February 26 to 28 the National Security Council considered a blueprint for Afghanistan’s national security policy. It calls for fully functional Afghan security institutions addressing internal and external threats to peace and security in an integrated fashion, under civilian supervision, and on a fiscally sustainable basis.

These institutions are also proving themselves under pressure. When violence erupted on February 25 in a high security wing of the main national prison at Pol-e-Charkhi, Afghan Ministry of Justice negotiators -- with strong support from the ICRC, ISAF and UN agencies -- were able to secure a peaceful resolution. I would like to pay tribute to those Afghan officials and international partners who showed forbearance, skill and wisdom in handling this crisis.

Addressing security issues
Mr. President,
The completion of security sector reform remains crucial to the peacebuilding process. The Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG) programme has gained profile and momentum in recent weeks. In total over 19,000 weapons have now been collected in all parts of the country. In Kapisa province, under the leadership of the Governor, a complete survey of those groups targeted for disbandment is being finalized, and this process will be repeated over the coming months in Farah, Herat, Laghman and Takhar provinces. Since the nationwide ammunition disposal programme began last year, over 30,000 tonnes of unwanted and dangerous munitions have been consolidated and destroyed. However, it will require strong and sustained commitment to meet the benchmarks for DIAG, munitions and mine action prescribed in the Afghanistan Compact.

The key development within the international military forces in recent weeks was the transfer of Regional Command South under Operation Enduring Freedom from a US to a multinational brigade on February 28 in Kandahar. Once fully fielded, this force will feature robust capabilities from the armed forces of Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia and other countries with a deployed strength of 6,000 troops in Afghanistan’s five southern provinces. This represents an increase of fifty percent over previous levels, and shows international resolve to meet the threat of terrorist-based insurgency.

Improved border management is also required to meet several key objectives under the Compact – from drug interdiction to revenue collection. At the Doha II Conference co-chaired by the governments of Germany and Qatar on February 27 and 28 twenty one states and eight international organizations re-affirmed their commitment to improved cooperation with Afghanistan on border security and border management. However, I remain concerned that the resources are not yet available to implement these proposals, including with regard to police and border police salaries.

Mr. President,
The agenda before the Government of Afghanistan and the international community is a heavy one. Whereas the Bonn Agreement was centered on the re-establishment of legitimate national institutions, a key challenge under the Afghanistan Compact will be to extend the reach of government at local level.

This will require security, development, civil society and private sector actors to be more present in areas not yet touched by recovery. It will require programmes that ensure the participation of Afghans in the development of their country, while meeting the needs of vulnerable groups and poor regions.

It will also challenge Afghanistan's government to make functioning institutions of justice and the rule of law more and more a reality in the communities in which most Afghans live. It will also require the implementation of Afghanistan’s new obligations to protect and monitor the human rights of its citizens.

Afghanistan can meet these expectations only by reforming and strengthening the government institutions necessary to develop its human capital, harness the potential of agriculture and natural resources and set conditions for the emergence of a vibrant private sector. Enhanced regional cooperation in this regard is also essential.

The report before you outlines a number of proposals on how UNAMA, having completed its support for the Bonn process, can continue to play a role as a special political mission, providing advice to the Government of Afghanistan in particular with a view to further strengthening its state institutions. UNAMA would continue to be an integrated mission, and to plan and coordinate UN humanitarian and development activities. As co-chair of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board established by the Compact, UNAMA would aim to promote government visibility of international assistance activities and to advocate greater coherence of the overall reconstruction efforts. Success in this endevour will, as the Secretary-General noted in his report, “also depend on the mutually reinforcing role and full cooperation of all stakeholders”.

As I mentioned earlier, it will be vital for the Afghan government to extend its reach to underserved areas of Afghanistan. The proposals submitted for your consideration therefore include the possibility of a modest expansion of UNAMA's field presence to accompany and support the Government in these efforts, subject of course to security conditions. The implementation of this mandate would require additional and sufficient security resources, including air and medical evacuation support.

Mr. President,
As the clock of the Afghanistan Compact starts ticking, the first benchmark – the establishment of a clear and transparent appointments mechanism for senior level civil service positions – will need to be met after six months.
By endorsing the Paris Declaration on Aid effectiveness last week, the Government of Afghanistan underscored the need to harmonize its efforts and those of the international community to ensure that our common vision for sustainable peace and development is realized in Afghanistan.

In closing, I would like to call upon the Afghan government to do its utmost to meet the benchmarks set out in these documents and to encourage the international community to show continuing generosity and commitment in this next important phase of the peace process.