TALKING POINTS

I thought it would be good to have an opportunity to talk with you about the exercise that the country is about to embark on. I will be giving you just a few brief points and then get into the question and answer period.

I will start by restating our very very firm condemnation of the violence that has been targeted at the electoral process, at candidates, and very recently, last night in fact, targeted at the police and the security forces that are doing their best to provide a safe environment for this critical exercise.

I would say perhaps that the only thing that mitigates our sense of outrage and indignation is the fact that we are convinced that having failed to disrupt the candidate nomination process, having failed to disrupt the process of registration, having failed again to make a dent in the electoral campaign of the past three weeks, we are very confident that those extremists will also fail to disrupt and derail polling day tomorrow.

Of course the most important stage of this election has not yet unfolded; polling day and it is always a little too early, and certainly a little too risky to want to pass judgment on the electoral process as such. But at the risk of displeasing those who have a more sceptical turn of mind than mine, I believe we can already notice, with a great sense of reward, some very very remarkable features of the process that we are witnessing.

You know that together with the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, we have been looking very very closely at the way in which this process has been conducted for the past several months. And one thing that comes across very very clearly to me is that what we are seeing today is an unmistakable confirmation that there is in this country the emergence of a new political culture.

Of course the involvement of women, not only now as voters but also as candidates, is probably the more visible part of that new culture. But I actually believe that in addition to this pluralism a sense of freedom of assembly and opinion, a sense that the legacy of the rule of the gun can be resisted is now taking root and I think that is alongside the importance of the future parliament. That culture is perhaps one of the most important outcomes of the Bonn process that has unfolded across the election of the transitional authority, the adoption of the constitution, the presidential and now the parliamentary election.

My third point is an important one. It is to express the full support of the United Nations to the work of the JEMB (Joint Electoral Management Body), its Chairman, Bissmillah Bissmil, the entire Secretariat, and of the Electoral Complaints Commission.

A lot of work has gone into learning the lessons from last year, perfecting procedures, finding ways of addressing the shortcomings, the creation of an independent complaints commission, is indeed one of the major features. There has been criticism, here or there, and probably some of this criticism is welcomed, but let me tell you very very clearly no one could have done better.

And my last point is to echo the address of Chairman Bissmillah Bissmil to the people of Afghanistan, and I do it respectfully and somehow with shame not to be able to do it in Dari and Pashto. And it is an appeal to put the past behind and to open a new era in Afghanistan, a new era of democracy and freedom. This is an important exercise, first and foremost because it expands the limits of democracy and freedom to the country as a whole, to every district and every province. It is also an opportunity to do something that the country needs and that is establishing a strong and representative parliament that will represent the views of all Afghans in passing laws, in controlling the workings of the government, and in organizing national debates on all those national issues that the country needs to overcome.

And I will admit that to us at the United Nations and to all those who have been working with Afghans for the past four years, nothing could reward us more than to see the people of Afghanistan giving tomorrow again, like during the presidential election, a lesson to international public opinion, in public participation, maturity and dignity.

Thank you very much. I will now take your questions.

Questions and Answers

Question: You spoke about the occurrence of violence? Can you be more specific about where and how this violence has happened?

Jean Arnault: It’s paradoxical that almost none of the violence that has taken place in the last three or four months has actually been as a result of the elections, contrary to what many people and ourselves had expected. But unfortunately there are still forces that see the participation of Afghans in these elections as something that will damage their cause and agenda for Afghanistan. They have clearly tried to target international and national staff, candidates and police, and international forces. If we have learnt anything over the last few years it is even when we, the international, community see worrying signs of insecurity, the Afghans will not let anything stop them from participating.

Question: In a recent interview you criticized the process of democratization in Afghanistan as a failure. Is this the case?

Jean Arnault: This is probably another one of those interviews where I don’t recognize what I have been trying to say. No I certainly do not think the process of democratization is a failure. If anything, I think it has been the most outstanding and successful part of the Bonn process. There are many shortcomings, but one of them is not the failure of the Afghans to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the process of democratization.

Question: Can you state what you think has been achieved and what could still be achieved?

Jean Arnault: There are two kinds of shortcomings – some of them are absolute and others are relative. What is important is to be aware of the level of expectation that the Bonn process created. And also how much expectation the election process has created. Some have said that somehow reconstruction and security are lagging behind the political process, and I think this is true. I think that in addition to all those needs out there that have not been fulfilled, there is another element of pressure on the international community and the government and institutions – and that pressure is to deliver very quickly on the dividends of democracy. If you allow me a small commercial regarding the post-Bonn agenda. I believe that the Afghans and the international community have every reason to maintain their very close cooperation that they have enjoyed over the last three and a half years, precisely to try to deliver quickly on these dividends in terms of democracy, security, reconstruction and counter-narcotics.

Question: (translated from French) There is a certain amount of confusion as to the list of candidates who risk being eliminated. The fact that some of these candidates can be eliminated after the voting process, is this not a catastrophe waiting to happen? Do you not risk having acts of violence happening between the end of the voting period and the end of the counting period in October?

Jean Arnault: (translated from French) The possibility of being disqualified is something that is very new to this electoral process. We should not be all that surprised that a lot of people find this to be a troubling and risky new aspect of the electoral process. But I think that one of the important aspects of these parliamentary elections, as opposed to the Presidential Election, is precisely to have for the very first time, trying to apply a law with all the difficulties that this rigorous process has to offer. And as you have mentioned, the possibility of disqualification after the elections for violations of the electoral law, that this possibility can be exercised. But I think this is part and parcel of the learning curve associated with the legality of this electoral exercise.

Question: How concerned are you that given the number of losers [losing candidates] that we are going to have, and given the time-line [lag] between when parliament is organized and when [the parliamentarians] can bring about changes to [for] people in their constituencies - given the combination these factors, will people fall back on the violent habits of the past?

Jean Arnault: We were all struck last year by the peaceful nature of the presidential exercise, we all tended to believe that faced with the same challenge, the Afghans will step up to the plate [rise to the occasion]. But one of our main concerns is that the number of losers will make the process of counting and the process of certification of the results a difficult one. I don’t see any other solution to this other than appealing to the candidates to meet the expectations that the Afghans have that this will be an exercise in civic participation. At the end of the day, people will have to learn that part and parcel of the democratic process is to respect the outcome, whether it is positive or negative. I hope that this lesson has already been learned, but if we have to go through a process of appeal by everyone, we will do it.

Question: Can you tell us about the most recent security incidents against national and international forces and tell us about the casualties?

Jean Arnault: I understand from the Minister of Interior that last night a group of police on patrol in the south of Kabul were ambushed. Three were killed and two were injured. I understand that this incident has been attributed to extremist forces.

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