At the same time, the Special Representative expresses his serious concern about the stalled Disarmament, Demobilization And Reintegration (DDR) programme. Adopted by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) at the end of March, the programme, which provides for a 40 percent reduction of the Afghan Military Forces (AMF) by June, was warmly welcomed by the participants in the Berlin Conference and was no small factor behind the confidence and support that the international community expressed at the Conference.

Five weeks later, the programme has not yet started, and the possibility that it will be completed in time is now in very serious jeopardy. There is no valid reason to delay the implementation of this important Government initiative. The military units that are to be decommissioned or downsized under the MoD plan and whose members are offered the opportunity to enter the civilian economy are not active in the protection of the country’s security – neither in combating terrorism nor in fighting organized crime or drug trafficking. Quite the contrary, many of them have been, in the past two years, involved in factional fighting, which is a continuing cause of instability - and of suffering for the communities affected by it.

The concerns expressed about the reintegration of the soldiers and officers have been met. Together with the ministries concerned, the Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme (ANBP) has identified enough job opportunities to address the need of the next few months.

Further stalling of the DDR programme is bound to have very negative consequences. The Afghan people know from bitter experience that the country will not enjoy lasting peace until rival armies have demobilized and been replaced by one National Army under Central Government control. Sadly, recent events in Herat and the North have confirmed the tragic experience of the past.

The demobilization and reintegration in dignified conditions of soldiers and officers is also a priority that people of Afghanistan have put at the top of the agenda of the Islamic Transitional State of Afghanistan since its election at the Emergency Loya Jirga in June 2002. They have stressed again and again that a national election could be a genuine exercise in free political choice only after guns cease to be a tool for influence and interference in the hands of local power holders. No one should be allowed to betray such a basic and legitimate aspiration.

Kabul, 6 May 2004

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