STATEMENT BY H.E. MR. NIRUPAM SEN AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND PLENIPOTENTIARY AND PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON AGENDA ITEM 17: THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE AND SECURITY AND AGENDA ITEM 73 (E): EMERGENCY INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR PEACE, NORMALCY AND RECONSTRUCTION OF WAR-STRICKEN AFGHANISTAN AT THE 60TH SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON NOVEMBER 28, 2005

Mr. President,

I thank you for scheduling this important debate on Afghanistan, providing as it does the only opportunity for Member States to engage on this critical issue in the General Assembly. We, therefore, welcome the opportunity to participate in this discussion under the relevant agenda items of the General Assembly.

Mr. President,

The pace of democratic change in Afghanistan has been remarkable by any standards. Afghanistan’s successful realization of democracy’s milestones - the historic election of its President, the entry into force of its first ever Constitution and, most recently, fully democratic parliamentary elections - are all testimony to the courage and conviction of its citizens and leaders.

It was only last week that confirmation of the final results of the parliamentary and provincial council elections was received, thus marking a successful conclusion of the Bonn process. We congratulate the people of Afghanistan on the successful holding of these elections, which constitute an important stage in Afghanistan’s journey towards a peaceful, stable and prosperous society.  It also amply demonstrates, once again, the choice of the Afghan people for a non-violent and democratic way of life, and Afghanistan’s readiness to emerge as a democracy, with commitment to individual rights, the rule of law, an open society and an open polity.

Mr. President,

India‘s support for a sovereign, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan was reiterated during the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Kabul in August 2005, when he conveyed that India stood ready to continue contributing to the task of rebuilding Afghanistan, including through the strengthening of its democratic institutions.  During his visit, the Prime Minister of India, along with Baba-e-Millat, former King - Zahir Shah, laid the foundation stone of the building which would house the newly-constituted Parliament of Afghanistan.  The parliament building is being constructed with Indian funding - a manifestation of India’s commitment to democracy in Afghanistan.   

Mr. President,

As in previous years, India has co-sponsored the General Assembly’s annual draft resolution on Afghanistan.  In our view, the draft resolution provides a balanced overview of the situation in Afghanistan.  It, inter alia, calls upon the Government of Afghanistan to continue to address the threat to the security and stability of Afghanistan posed by Al-Qaida operatives, the Taliban and other terrorist or extremist groups as well as by criminal violence, in particular violence integral to the drug trade; endorses the key principles of cooperation between the Government of Afghanistan and the international community during the ‘Post-Bonn Process’ as set out in the Secretary General’s report; and welcomes the readiness of the Government of Afghanistan to prepare an interim national development strategy, to be considered at a Conference in London planned for January 2006, where a new engagement between the international community and the Government of Afghanistan is also due to be completed.

We wish to take this opportunity to thank the delegation of Germany for having initiated and coordinated the resolution. We believe that the resolution performs an important function by highlighting the international community’s assessment of the progress achieved in the political, security, economic, social and other critical spheres of Afghanistan’s development and by drawing attention to the areas that require further attention.  We would have no objections to plans, by the coordinators of the resolution, to merge its two parts, relating to peace and security and reconstruction and humanitarian issues, into one comprehensive resolution on the situation in Afghanistan for the 61st session of the General Assembly.

Mr. President,

Just last week, on November 23, Mr. M. R. Kutty, an employee of the Border Roads Organization of India, working on the construction of the Zaranj-Delaram road project in Afghanistan, was brutally murdered by his abductors.  Kutty, along with three Afghan nationals, had been abducted on November 19, 2005 by the Taliban.  We strongly condemn this inhuman and barbaric killing of an innocent person. The Taliban and its backers bear the responsibility for the consequences of this outrageous act. We hope that the perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice. The Border Roads Organization of India is engaged in building a road in Afghanistan that is vital for its development and the welfare of its people. It is inconceivable that anybody should be opposed to it and threaten those working on it.

The recent escalation in violence, illustrated by the deaths of Mr. Kutty and other development and humanitarian personnel, underlines the continuing serious threat to Afghanistan’s security and stability posed by remnants of the Al-Qaida, Taliban and other terrorist and extremist elements. The report of the Secretary General [A/60/224] states that ‘Afghanistan today is suffering from a level of insecurity, especially in the south and parts of the east, not seen since the departure of the Taliban. The growing influence of non-Afghan elements in the security environment is of particular concern‘.  There are clear signs that such elements continue to receive support and safe haven across the border from the southern and south-eastern provinces of Afghanistan.  International responses against such destabilization are essential but cannot be limited to combat operations on the ground.  It is equally necessary to resolutely attack the financing, the safe havens, the training camps and networks that support them. 

The Outcome Document adopted by our Heads of State and Government at the 2005 World Summit calls upon States ‘to refrain from organising, financing, encouraging, providing training for or otherwise supporting terrorist activities and to take appropriate measures to ensure that their territories are not used for such activities‘. The efficacy of cooperative multilateralism can unfortunately only be tested against the intention of its weakest adherents. 

India remains committed to the goal of a sovereign, stable, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan. Such an Afghanistan is necessary for peace, security and stability in the region.  During the Prime Minister of India’s recent visit to Afghanistan, he and President Hamid Karzai condemned global terrorism as a threat to democracy and declared that there could be no compromise with those who resort to terrorism. They reiterated their commitment to work together to ensure that Afghanistan would never again become a safe heaven for terrorism and extremism.

Mr. President,

The Afghanistan Opium Survey 2005, released earlier this month by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, registered a decrease in opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan for the first time since 2001, with the area devoted to drug crops declining an impressive 21%.  The decline in cultivation is important and encouraging and was a result of the compliance by Afghanistan’s farmers with the government’s anti-cultivation messages or eradication policy. Unfortunately, Afghanistan’s share of opium production continues to remain high.  In 2005, Afghanistan contributed roughly 87% of the world total.

India remains deeply concerned by the cultivation, production and trafficking of narcotic drugs in Afghanistan, and its links with criminal and terrorist networks.  This phenomenon can only serve to undermine the political and economic reconstruction of Afghanistan and has potentially dangerous repercussions for the region and beyond.  In response to a request from the United Kingdom, which is the lead country for tackling the drugs problem in Afghanistan, India has agreed to contribute to the recently established Counter Narcotics Trust Fund.  We have also communicated our agreement to take up a pilot project on community development to wean away farmers from poppy cultivation.

Mr. President,

India and Afghanistan enjoy traditional bonds of friendship, a shared history, many common traditions and enduring cultural ties. In the last three years our bilateral relations have reached a new level of intensity and cooperation. In partnership with the Afghan government, we have been able to implement a significant program of reconstruction assistance. India’s present commitments add up to over US $550 million since 2002, making it among the top 6 contributors to Afghanistan’s reconstruction, a significant effort for a non-traditional donor. India has undertaken, in partnership with the Afghan government, projects in a wide range of sectors, including hydro-electric power, road construction, agriculture, industry, telecommunications, information & broadcasting, education and health, which were identified by the Afghan government as priority areas for development. In the next phase of our assistance programme, we plan to focus on undertaking community based small-scale developmental projects, which have a short gestation period with a direct, rapid and visible impact on community life. 

Underlying our cooperation with Afghanistan is our desire to see Afghanistan emerge as a strong, united, independent and prosperous country.  We wish to see full consolidation of authority by the central government.  Our efforts in reconstruction and other sectors would be directed at promoting unity and reconciliation.  During his visit to Afghanistan, the Prime Minister of India stated, ‘It is a privilege for India to be a partner in the path that Afghanistan has chosen. So I come back with a great sense of satisfaction that our two countries are working hand-in-hand to accelerate the tempo of social and economic development and to strengthen the democratic foundations of the polity of Afghanistan.’ 

I am happy to place, at the disposal of those delegations that may be interested, a brochure and  CD-ROM entitled ‘Rebuilding Afghanistan - India at Work’, providing an overview of India’s assistance to Afghanistan.

Thank you, Mr. President.