10 July 2006

Talking Points

Last week we co-chaired a very important conference in Tokyo on DIAG [Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups]. I particularly welcome the strong commitment by the Government of Afghanistan, the President, the Ministers present and the strong support of the Japanese Government for DIAG.

There is no alternative to the disbandment of illegal armed groups. There have been experts from more than 50 countries in Tokyo and one thing was clear, this is a long term effort. The international community and the Government of Afghanistan have to stay the course. DIAG needs a daily, permanent momentum of the government and the governors and all those involved, but at the same time it needs a renewed commitment of the whole society, including those who have fought the wars over the past 26 years.

I welcome this new momentum which came from Tokyo and the President. We will build on that momentum in the regions where we work on continuation and intensification of illegal armed groups.

Secondly I want to speak about the south. These are difficult times for Afghanistan. These are difficult times for the south, but backing away is not an option.

First of all we have to analyze carefully what we are facing in the south. In the south we face the first phase of an insurgency. An insurgency frequently using terrorist methods. An insurgency fueled by international terrorist networks. And an insurgency not respecting any civilian life. There are estimates on the number of victims - a lot of you have written 600 victims on both sides in the last two months.

This is not good news. If we have wrongly analyzed, half a year ago, the situation in the south, it is now time to correct it. No doubt this is an insurgency with the intent of overthrowing the democratically elected government. If we have thought the Taliban would not recover from their defeat in 2001 we were wrong. They have recovered and they get help through international terrorist networks.

If we have thought we need not pay special attention to the southern provinces, we were wrong. We better had invested more in the security sector reform, that is the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police, and the judiciary. It is obvious that our outreach into the districts has not been sufficient. The development aid has not been sufficiently felt in everybody’s everyday life.

It is high time to correct this.

At the moment there are nations discussing their commitment to Afghanistan. In several parliaments and commissions you have discussions whether to have more or less troops. Discussions on whether to have more or less diplomatic support. Discussions on whether to have more or less project funding.

I think the analysis of the situation makes it obvious that the support is more needed than ever. The support that means the effort, the political support, the strengthening of the security sector reform and the addition to the development support.

I think the lesson from the south is pretty clear: if it has not reached the goal in the expected time one has to increase the commitment and not decrease it.

The Italian parliament is deciding on July 17th on the extension of their mandate. There are voices in favor of decreasing and there are voices in favor of increasing the support on the military side and on the aid development side.

I have the opportunity on July 13th to speak to the Commission of Foreign Affairs of the Senate of the Italian Parliament. And I will make that point: the support, the effort and the security sector reform is more needed than ever. And if the justice reform, where the Italians are particularly engaged has not been as fast as we thought, that doesn’t mean it has been wrong, but it does mean that the effort has to be increased.

I think Italy should know, and the whole world knows it since yesterday, that if one hasn’t reached the goal of the 90 minutes, it has to increase the effort. Even after 120 minutes, it doesn’t mean that the effort was wrong and that one hasn’t reached the goal. The situation in the south shows that the support to the security sector reform, the police reform, the strengthening of the Afghan National Army has to be increased.

One policeman for every 1,500 Afghan is not enough. In Switzerland they have three times more. Unfortunately the south of Afghanistan is not Switzerland.

The taking of command of ISAF over the south might be a good opportunity, not to disengage, but engage. Engage among the Parliaments, not only of those countries who have troops in the south, but the whole international community.

Engage in public support. Engage militarily, diplomatically in the region and financially through humanitarian development and security sector support.

I hope the message the insurgents deliver to the world is understood, that is more support for the democratically elected Afghan government needed.

I am confident that the international community and the Afghan government will understand that. As you know in the last two weeks we have been in close cooperation with Afghan security sector authorities and we are optimistic that the new analysis will lead to a new strategy.

The engagement needed is not a short term engagement and we cannot be sure we will succeed in 90 minutes. But we should be sure that the effort is worthwhile.

Thank you.

Questions and Answers

Al-Jazeera TV: Don’t you think that the Reconciliation Committee should be reformed and be more effective?

SRSG: I definitely think yes because an insurgency has only military solutions and an insurgency needs political efforts. That’s what I’ve said, a development effort, political effort, reconciliation effort and I think this commission has to be reinforced, but nonetheless this is a subject nearly completely on the Afghan side. But I appreciate that the President agrees that this is a very important initiative which has to be reinvigorated and reinforced.

Voice of America: (translated from Dari) Yesterday you had a meeting with President Karzai and you had a discussion about the situation in the southern part of the country. Can you describe what was discussed in that meeting and what were the wrong measures taken in the past?

SRSG: We have worked on a very detailed analysis and had all those who are engaged in the south involved in a round table discussion. On the Afghan side the ministries responsible for security and development and on our side the military and the Ambassadors from the countries who have troops there and we analyzed the situation in great detail. The President has asked publicly asked ‘who are those who fight’. The findings brought us to conclude that this is an insurgency. We came to a couple of recommendations. The President has made a statement on this which gives you some of the details, not so much the analysis but the coherence, the coincidence of the opinion, has filled me with optimism. In the recommendations there are national and international aspects. It is obvious that on one side there is a close cooperation, a cross board cooperation needed to fight the insurgency and on the other side there is a diplomatic effort to dry out the supporting international terrorist network needed. So this is a role for everybody to play and invigorate.

BBC: For the betterment of the situation in Afghanistan, what were your suggestions and to what extent was the world community concerned about the operation in southern Afghanistan?

SRSG: First of all the outstanding of this meeting was that there is a great coincidence of the opinions of the analysis part and of the recommendations part. So the outcome of the meeting, and the numerous meetings held prior to in preparation of this meeting resulted in five fields. One, is in the field of governance detailing that a more district level outreach is necessary, and certainly priority must be given to the southern provinces which are under siege at the moment, that is Helmand, Kandahar, Uruzgan, and Zabul. The second area of recommendations refers to external and diplomatic efforts which have to be made to address the threats from within Pakistan and supporting networks. But at the same time the cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan has to be increased. The third area is the security sector reform I talked about earlier. The fourth is the development and apparently the development support which was not weaker in the south than in other provinces hasn’t reached the daily lives of people. We have to ensure that the development aid reaches the provinces and communities and meets the priorities and needs of those communities. That means a certain refocusing of development aid. And fifth, we have to improve the public communication. The lack of information in these provinces is alarming. So those opinion leaders have to be supported. Those who give information can give information and have to be fed with information which means I have to talk with you more. This is a broad outline of the very detailed recommendation the President made last night and gave to you.

Radio Liberty: You have mentioned that there are a few uprisings in the country and are you expecting a second and third phase. Is this analysis you just did extracted from your talks with Mr. Wardak?

SRSG: Those who have studied the theory of military operations know the term ‘insurgency’. I haven’t studied this subject but I was very happy to have people like General Wardak who have studied it. Those who have fought the insurgency against the Russian occupation should know about the different phases of insurgency. The first phase is the phase where the authority of certain parts of the territory in the countryside is disputed. Those who know these terms theoretically say we are in some areas in the beginning of the first phase of insurgency. That means at the same time it can be countered and with this optimism we proceed. And nevertheless, particularly in this first phase a lot of possible political means to encounter the insurgency. The concerns of the people in the south are many fold and we are aware of that. The most heard concern is a lack of security. If we read about parallel institutes of justice, this is a clear call that the official justice is absent. And if people say that the authorities are corrupt and don’t do well, it’s a call for reform of governance. So this term, the beginning of the first phase of an insurgency, implies at the same time that there are a lot of non-military strategies needed and possible and everything which is cross boarder can only be addressed by diplomatic means. That’s why the relationship to Pakistan is so important.

Kabul Press.org: (translated from Dari) Why not put fighting and illiteracy as a top priority in the country because when you fight with illiteracy you can fight with security problems and ensure the continued security in the country. You know that the military actions are not permanent solutions because in the future we wont have the assistance of the international community and troops in the country, so if we fight with illiteracy in the country we can ensure the security forever in the country.

SRSG: I certainly put capacity development in the first place of the development aid. It has been one of the main successes of the new government and the international community in their support to have so many schools built and so many classes built. I think the effort of fighting the illiteracy beyond the schools are super important. In the south quite a number of schools are attacked. One of the threats of the Taliban is to return to illiteracy and a lack of schools for girls. That is what people definitely don’t want and that is why wherever a school is burnt the international community and the government try and reestablish it as soon as possible. If we look at the statistics we have on average one attack everyday on a school in Afghanistan. That shows us that we have to deal with both, the security situation and the educational situation. I agree that the role of the community in defending their school, their institutions of education is very important. This is one element of the recommendation that we, the international community, and the Afghan government should much more cooperate with the local authorities, the local Shuras, the community. So the defence against the Taliban is not only military but a multi-faceted, multi-area effort and to having a long term goal that every Afghan has a right to be able to write and to read.

Question: In the DIAG conference you had in Tokyo, did you speak about forming militias and don’t you think it is a big challenge to the country? Was any financial support pledged in the meeting?

SRSG: First there is a broad consensus in the Afghan government against militias. The President, the Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense are explicitly against creating militias. Whatever security force is employed has to be under the authority of the central government. If there is additional police employed in the south it has to be under the Ministry of Interior or Afghan National Army. Whatever auxiliary or additional police is being created it must be and will be under the authority of the district police chief, the international community and particularly those nations who finance the police project are very adamant so is the Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense. The Japanese assured an additional 60 million dollars to their projects in Afghanistan.

Question: What methods do you suggest for better development of the country despite some dissatisfaction so far?

SRSG: The total sum of the money of development aid seems extremely high. If you look at other post conflict countries that have been generously supported by the international community, you know that support per capital have not been as high as it has been in Iraq and Bosnia. One must not forget that Afghanistan is a huge country and with a huge population and one of the five poorest countries of the world. The consequences of the three decades of war are really felt not only in the statistics but certainly also one can see it. Even the huge amount money we see which comes into this country will not resolve all of these problems. So first of all I advocate a sustained commitment over a couple of years. In one area we have to admit that we have thought we would have resulted will lesser support. The international community thought that the Taliban could be kept out of the security and political spectrum with help from the police in five years. The international community and the government have been much more ambitious than has been realistic. If the judicial reform has not had quick results it means we have been either over ambitious or under financed. It is obvious that faster and broader thought of national police and national army is pressing and necessary. There is no cheap way to reach security and security in the south is much more fragile than we have analyzed. I think the commitment to the security reform, and I mean quite clearly including the civilian part, must be much stronger and much longer sustained.

Question: You talked regarding the security situation, which requires a new change in the strategy of the government. The President of Afghanistan also speaks regarding insecurity in the country. Do you agree with the President that the fight against terrorism should not be limited inside but beyond borders and the sources of terrorist supplies should be identified?

SRSG: The President is certainly right to point out that a new long-term strategy is necessary. This strategy is not the opposite of the old one but it needs certain adjustments and recommendations developed to go to that direction. And I repeated this security reform, this new strategy, has to include the civilian part the police as a non military but civilian force guaranteeing day-to-day security. And the judiciary which delivers services of conflict resolutions in the districts and communities. Since we have the logistical bases of the insurgency outside the country it is certainly necessary to get into the initiative on the diplomatic field. The safe heavens of the terrorists and the insurgents outside the country have to be equally addressed, as they have to be addressed inside the country. But it certainly can’t be addressed by the government of Afghanistan because it has to be addressed by the international community and those who support these networks.

Drying out the international terrorist networks, financing this insurgency is an international challenge. And ending the logistical and ideological support from over the Pakistan border is a Pakistan issue. The international community has to press and to support Pakistan in that direction. But it seems to be clear that the Taliban would not have recovered as a military force in the south if they wouldn’t have had the territory to recover and the financial support.

They pose the same threat to stabilization to Pakistan as they posed it to the Afghan state. No matter what nationalities the fighters are I think it is not only the question to identifying but it is also a question of support because Pakistan has been left alone with the problem to a certain extent.

Question: You said that the terrorist networks have been functioning inside the country. Could you please explain how their administration works?

SRSG: Somebody apparently finances the Taliban. The finance cannot possibly come out of Zabul or out of Helmand or out of Kandahar. These are not provinces who are not sufficiently rich or sustain an insurgency like that. According to military intelligence some the fighters are not from the region. Obviously they have logistical bases outside the country. But also the public declarations say that there are close links. There is an Al Qaeda head for the region appointed. We have statements in that direction. I am neither military nor a secret service expert so I cannot give you any intelligence where Osama bin Laden is. In case I would know I would tell it to somebody else.

Question: Does the statement refer to your meeting with Defense Minister Wardak?

SRSG: We had very close cooperation in the last week. We have coincided in most of the elements I have learned a lot with his cooperation, because certainly from theory and practice, General Wardak is an expert on insurgency. I cannot make him responsible with what I said. I give my opinion. It may not be his. You better ask him.

Question: Were expecting Britain to announce sending more troops to Afghanistan, what are your views on that?

SRSG: That is an excellent use because that is exactly the direction I want everybody to go. To see and analyze that we have problems, to take the consequence to more commitment, adjust strategy and stay the course. That is exactly what we need. We it from the Brits, we need it from the Italians and from all the other contributors and even from those who have not yet contributed that gives the clear message to the Taliban that they will not win, and that’s what we all want. This is true for the military, for the political and for the financial support. For the military, because there is quite obviously military element in fighting the Taliban, for the political, because there is obviously a diplomatic, and political area to address, and for the financial because we need more development aid in the south.

Other Talking Points

UNDP to launch Asia Pacific Human Development Report
On Monday, 17 July, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) will launch its Asia Pacific Human Development Report at the Safi Landmark Hotel in Kabul.

The report entitled “Trade on Human Terms: Transforming Trade for Human Development in Asia and the Pacific” examines recent developments on trade and economic growth, and puts forward an agenda for national governments to make trade work more for the poor.

In the context of Afghanistan, the report is consistent with the Afghan government’s regional cooperation framework – designed to integrate Afghanistan in the growing regional economy through trade, transit, investment, labor exchange and increased reliance on regional resources for development.

The Interim-Afghanistan National Development Strategy (iANDS) also identifies access to regional and international markets as a means to achieve Afghanistan’s economic growth and political stability.

Building on the success of Afghanistan’s first National Human Development Report for 2004, UNDP and Kabul University have embarked on establishing the Centre for Policy and Human Development at Kabul University.

UNHCR: Kabul to host tenth tripartite commission meeting with Iran
The Government of Afghanistan will host the tenth tripartite commission meeting between the governments of Afghanistan and Iran and UNHCR tomorrow in Kabul.

During the one-day meeting, parties will discuss a number of practical issues that would help Afghans return from Iran. The governments of Afghanistan, Iran and UNHCR signed the tripartite agreement in April 2002 which has been extended annually. The current tripartite agreement ends in March 2007.

The UN Refugee Agency also reports that the number of Afghans who have returned in 2006 with assistance from UNHCR has now surpassed 105,000 people.

Of that figure some 100,000 returned from Pakistan while the remaining 5,000 returned from Iran. However, some 90,000 Afghans have returned spontaneously from Iran without assistance from UNHCR.

Click here to read the UNHCR press release.

UNICEF approves vocational and literacy training for 300 demobilized soldiers and war-affected children
A United Nations Children’s Fund-led programme will see 300 children gain vocational and literacy training education in Khost province.

The UNICEF programme, with contribution from the NGO BEFA (Basic Education For Afghanistan), will allow 172 underage demobilized soldiers and 128 war-affected children, both boys and girls, acquire reading, writing and vocational training.

The programme, which is being run in Mandozai, Yaqqobi, Nader Shah Koot, Tani, and Khost, will run for one year. It began on July 1, 2006 and will end on June 30, 2007.

UNICEF, which is also providing literacy learning material, recreations kits and medical supplies, is contributing $141,452.00, while BEFA’s portion of the project amounts to $11,766.00.

UN and government join forces for World Population Day
The Government of Afghanistan and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will be joining forces tomorrow to mark World Population Day at an event being hosted at the Ministry for Culture, Information and Youth Affairs.

The theme for this year’s event will be young people and the challenges they face to play a full and active role in society – particularly relevant to a country like Afghanistan where over half the estimated population of 29 million is under the age of eighteen.

The event will be attended by the Minister for Culture, Information and Youth Affairs as well as senior representatives from UNFPA. Media are welcome to attend. The event starts at 11am at the Ministry tomorrow.

Click here to read the message from the Secretary-General.