This report [S/2006/935, Report of the Security Council mission to Afghanistan, 11-16 November 2006] will be discussed today at the United Nations Security Council at 10am (NY time). You will see in this report the findings of the Security Council, which visited Afghanistan between 11 th and 16 th of November last month. I don't want to walk you through this report, I want to highlight to you the most important findings right away, and they are the recommendations in paragraphs 38, 39 and 40. Paragraph 38 states that the mission affirms the importance of establishing a strong and sustainable Afghan National Army (ANA) and urges donors and the Government of Afghanistan to redouble their efforts to establish a trusted and effective Afghan National Police (ANP) throughout the country. The Mission also noted the central importance of reforming the Afghan Ministry of Interior.
The recommendation in paragraph 39 [of the Security Council's report] highlights as a matter of highest priority, that the mission urges the Government of Afghanistan with the support of its international partners to establish the rule of law and good governance throughout the country. To this end the mission encourages the Government to take immediate steps to strengthen the justice sector institutions and the provincial level administrations including the replacement of corrupt Government officials and local power brokers.
The third is the recommendation of paragraph 40 of the mission, which urges the government and the world community to sharpen their focus on human rights and protection of civilians.
This report is not a report on the situation in Afghanistan . It is a report about the fixes needed to overcome current problems. It recognizes that public confidence has been battered by the insurgency, corruption, the illegal drug trade, and by poor or absent law enforcement.
You will find at the bottom of the first page of the report, in paragraph 3, a sentence saying that "these factors have tempered the legitimate hopes of Afghans with signs of despondency and disillusionment."
Overall the mission of the Security Council was convinced that Afghanistan and the international community have the necessary strategy to overcome challenges. The Security Council says it will undertake to ensure that the international community's support for Afghanistan and its commitment to this shared strategy remain firm and enduring.
These findings are very much in line with the findings of another study which came out today and some of you may heard about tit in the news: the Iraq Study Group report. We stress over and over that Iraq is not Afghanistan . Nevertheless this group has one recommendation or remark on Afghanistan on page 50 of their report. I refer again here not to the Security Council report but to the Iraq report. And this is the report of the American Government. They say the huge focus of US political, military, and economic support on Iraq has necessarily diverted attention from Afghanistan . This is something many people have criticized over the years. And they make a lot of recommendations on Iraq , but one recommendation on Afghanistan : It is critical for the US to provide additional political, economic and military support for Afghanistan including resources that might become available as combat forces move from Iraq .
So I am happy that both these reports, which are on the news of today, coincide in one essential point. Huge additional effort has to be made by the international community and the Afghan government to overcome the problems we have at the moment. The Security Council report urges the Afghan government and the Afghan people to make a priority of bringing about rule of law including by tackling corruption and reforming the police and the Interior Ministry.
At the moment, on the initiative of French President Chirac, there is a debate on additional instruments, such as a contact group on Afghanistan .
The Security Council stresses that the Afghanistan Compact is the way forward. Because the Afghanistan Compact is not only led by Afghans but provides a strategic framework for the international community's and Afghanistan 's cooperation with each other.
I guide you to page ten, paragraph 36 of the Security Council's report where it says the mission welcomes the achievements of the Bonn process and reaffirms its support for the Afghan Compact as the best framework for cooperation between the Afghan government and the International community. The compact should now move to serious actions and consistent implementation efforts under the overall guidance of the JCMB [Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board].
The report stresses a subject that UNAMA believes is of crucial importance, and that is in the filed of human rights that I already mentioned. Particularly, the need to protect civilians in armed conflict. The government, the international community and UNAMA must sharpen their focus in this area and I welcome the proposal for increased monitoring. I repeat what I said at the outset on paragraph 40, that the Security Council mission urges the government and international community to sharpen their focus on human rights and protection of civilians including to increase monitoring of adherence to international, humanitarian and human rights law.
I think we will have the opportunity to speak about human rights on human rights day on the 10th of December where we have several events on that respect.
I am happy to take your questions on the report or on other subjects.
Xinhua: We see in this report that there are many suggestions to the Afghan government. I want to know is this compulsory for the government to implement it? If the Afghan government does not do it what will happen?
SRSG: The United Nations respects the sovereignty of the member states. United Nations and the Security Council as a body of the UN makes recommendations to be considered by those who are addressed in these recommendations - in this case the Afghan government. Some recommendations they make to the international community. They are equally important. But they are not military orders. If you make a recommendation it is obvious in the interaction of two partners that it is a question of improving or not improving the mutual relations. And both partners rely always listening to each other and follow the reasonable suggestions.
The Afghan government depends to a large degree on the support and cooperation of the international community, and the international community depends on the cooperation of the Afghan government. So these recommendations are important but not compulsory.
Ariana TV: I want some more details on reforms in the Ministry of Interior. These reforms target the leadership of the Ministry or lower ranks. A reform in the lower levels is underway in the Interior Ministry. Does it mean that the Security Council mission is not satisfied with the ongoing reforms?
SRSG: The reform of the police on all levels is ongoing. There are a lot of complaints about corruption and in the structure of the police. The Security Council has listened to a number of complaints in that respect. Their findings say that the Afghan government and the international community have to focus on fighting corruption in the structure of police. The Security Council has not and cannot say this or that person is corrupt. This is a question for prosecutors and tribunals. Nevertheless they have found that in the structure of the police there is rampant corruption and this has to be urgently addressed.
IRIN: The report says that the growing Taliban insurgency and booming drug trade and failure in governance are posing a serious threat to reconstruction efforts. In the meantime it says that the Bonn process is largely on track and the UN Security Council mission was convinced by the sound strategy of the Afghan government in dealing with these challenges. Don't you think there is a need for a review of the current strategy given the fact that there were numerous changes in dealing with these challenges?
SRSG: The Security Council mission explicitly has said not to revise the strategy laid down in the Afghanistan Compact. But both the international community and the government should put a huge focus to redouble the efforts in the security sector reform. And the security sector is the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, judiciary, and government institutions. You can always say that refocusing is a change of strategy. But they clearly say that we are right. We have only to redouble the efforts in some areas. So we don't have strategy problem we have an implementation problem. This view is shared by the government, the PAG [Policy Action Group], the JCMB, and the international community. I want to make that very clear. I have spoken about the Iraq study group report. That is a revision of the strategy. The Iraq report speaks about reducing troop levels. The Security Council mission report says the opposite. [It says] Stay the course in Afghanistan and redouble the efforts. I am very happy that in the strategy for revising the Iraq approach of the US they mention that they should stick to the strategy in Afghanistan and increase troops level. We should always stress Iraq is not Afghanistan and that these are different situations. I am happy that American strategic thinkers who drafted this report have recognized that.
GMA: In the past five years the security has deteriorated, poppy cultivation has increased and corruption is widespread in the government. The UN also points to these problems. If the situation continues, won't this discourage the international community and the UN?
SRSG: First of all the recommendations have to be implemented. Second the Security Council is optimistic and recognizes the successes made and continuously being made. It recognizes the enormous progress Afghanistan has made since its last visit. I think with the bad news we get everyday we should not forget that there is sound and increasing and very positive developments in three-quarters of the country. I keep receiving people who come here having read only the latest news and telling me that nothing has changed since 2001. In the next sentence they apologize that they are late because of the traffic jams in Kabul. If nothing has changed where have all the cars come from?
Ariana: You said that the Afghanistan report is similar to that of Iraq. And the suggestion that the international community should follow the Afghanistan strategy in Iraq. Aren't they contradictory?
SRSG: I didn't say that it coincides in the description of the situation nor that it coincides in recommendations. From the different assessments of the two places they come with two completely different and opposite suggestions. In Iraq they come to the suggestion to reduce troops and engagement. In Afghanistan they will refocus attention and increase engagement. This coincides with the Security Council's suggestions for a redoubling of efforts. You know that the US is the major donor and the major troop contributor to Afghanistan and such a statement is positive.
Aina TV: The Security Council mission suggest reforms at a time when the Afghan government accuses Pakistan for the entire crisis in Afghanistan. Don't these reforms nullify the Afghan government's claim that Pakistan is responsible for insecurity in Afghanistan and indicate the weakness of the Afghan government?
SRSG: I think on both sides [of the border] changes have to be made. First of all the Afghan Government has to look into better governance and governance reform. You find on page 9 of the Security Council mission report some remarks on the neighboring countries. Paragraph 31 on page 9 of the Security Council report states that "many interlocutors stressed that the existence of sanctuaries in Pakistan for the Taliban, the Hezb-I-Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and other insurgent groups must be addressed by law enforcement and other means. The cross-border dimension to the insurgency was also emphasized by ISAF, which cited the impact of the recent peace deal in North Waziristan, Pakistan. Over the past few months, ISAF had detected a 70 per cent and 50 per cent increase, respectively, in security incidents in the Afghan provinces of Paktika and Khost, which neighbour North Waziristan."
AFP: At the Riga summit the NATO member countries didn't commit extra troops for Afghanistan to redouble efforts. Does it mean that the international community could be defeated in Afghanistan as it was defeated in Iraq?
SRSG: First of all even under the surprisingly difficult situation this year I must say ISAF and the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police have done considerably well. And there is no way that they have been or would be defeated. It is only said in this report in several fields that more has to be done. The solution of the problem has to be front-loaded. It has to be emphasized now otherwise we will have a long-standing problem and long-lasting insecurity in the country. If Afghanistan and the international community have to stay with the same international involvement, then the Afghan forces urgently have to be strengthened and reinforced. But don't misread this report. This report is inspired by profound optimism and commitment. They [the authors] have also said that the international community stays committed and this report is certainly a unanimous report. The Security Council will discuss this later today and each of the nations will make their statements and will reinforce the message, which is an optimistic one.
DPA: The report on Iraq says that there should be a reduction of troop levels while the Afghanistan report suggests an increase in troop levels. Does this mean that Afghanistan is more dangerous than Iraq? My second question is that I didn't see anything about civilian casualties. The report says the strategy should remain unchanged. Does it mean that having civilian casualties is OK and there is no change in that?
SRSG: I think everybody following the news everyday knows how different the situations in Iraq and in Afghanistan are. You certainly heard when the Secretary General said that people in Iraq face a civil war. You have asked whether Iraq is more dangerous or less dangerous than Afghanistan. The assessment of the United Nations - you know that we have a small mission in Iraq and a mission here - is that Iraq is more dangerous than Afghanistan. But particularly form the UN perspective all the historic realities on the ground in Iraq are different to the realities in Afghanistan. If you look at the history that UN has in these two places you see the differences. The reason of the Iraq's study group recommending that the US government reduce troops there and increase troops here is based on the differences of the places and not only the question of what is more dangerous and what is less dangerous. On your second question, right in the beginning of this press conference I said that one of the three main focuses of the Security Council mission report is on protection of civilians. They urge the government and international community to sharpen their focus on the protection of civilians. I refer you to paragraph 40 of the report.
Question: [ Inaudible ] Why don't you take steps to build our own army and security with our own troops instead of calling for more international troops to deliver security for us?
SRSG: I couldn't agree more. The increase of international troops is and must be a temporary measure because the international troops are here temporarily and not permanently. And the [Security Council] report focuses on strengthening the national security institutions first and foremost. But this needs - particularly in the field of the [Afghan] police but also the army -additional international support. Support with training and financing their salaries. Both the Afghan National Police and Army are currently fully funded by international support. If you advocate for more personnel, as I do, then you must also advocate greater support, which I do. Also to increase the number of mentors and trainers in the police and military is important so an increased commitment in the number of personnel [from the international community] is needed too. The main source of sustainable security is strengthening the national security agencies, not only the army and the police but also the judiciary and the administration. I might add that although the UN has given the mandate [to the international security forces] it does not provide the troops. The troops are provided by member states of the United Nations and NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation] as well as those states who want to contribute to NATO's presence in Afghanistan. But to build sustainable security and stability requires Afghan security forces. The main focus of this report is not to ask for greater international troops but to strengthen the Afghan security forces.
Aina TV: The accusation that the Government of Afghanistan is making against Pakistan is that they are the main factor behind insecurity in Afghanistan. Would you accept or reject this accusation?
SRSG: I have spoken about this so often that I am reluctant to repeat my comments again. However long-term stability in the region has to be implemented by all the nations in the region. Afghanistan and Pakistan have to cooperate on security. I am very happy that the Pakistani Foreign Secretary is in town today and tomorrow, I am sure they will talk about this cooperation and the best outcome of this visit would be the strengthening of this security cooperation. And security and stability is not achieved by accusations but by increasing cooperation, so I appeal to both sides to forget the war of words and come to cooperation and constructive action instead.
Thank you.