30 June 2010 - The situation in Afghanistan - Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations

New York

Permanent Mission address: 150 East 42 Street, Level 33, New York, New York 10017 - Telephone: 1 212 351 6600 - Fax: 1 212 351 6610

Statement by H.E. Mr Gary Quinlan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Security Council regarding the Situation in Afghanistan as delivered 30 June 2010.

(as delivered)

Australia welcomes Special Representative de Mistura’s presence and his briefing. We also appreciate the latest quarterly report of the Secretary General on Afghanistan, the presence of Ambassador Tanin this morning, and the briefings provided today on the recent Security Council mission to Afghanistan. The level of direct engagement in the field by the Council is welcome.

The Secretary-General’s report and today’s briefings underline some crucial factors:

• The need for an intelligent, hard-headed political vision of Afghanistan’s future and a credible political process to achieve that vision
• The fact that, while military efforts alone will not resolve Afghanistan’s conflict, we cannot lose sight of the importance of security to progress in other areas (governance, development, human rights);
• the indispensability of a credible and effective partner in the Afghan Government that can provide basic services and take action against corruption; and
• the need obviously to give priority to developing Afghan capabilities in order to transition to Afghan ownership.

Australia believes the basic ISAF strategy, which emphasises protection of the population, increasing and integrating civilian activity within a truly civ-mil approach, and focusing on building-Afghan capacity, provides a sound basis for addressing these priorities. We look forward to working with General Petreaus in furthering this strategy’s implementation. Equally, we look forward to the results of the Kabul conference in July.

Mr President

Australia remains fully committed to doing its part in international efforts in Afghanistan. We recently welcomed the decision by ISAF to establish new multinational arrangements for Uruzgan Province to replace the Netherlands’ lead in that province from 1 August this year. Most of Australia’s troops are in that province and Australia will play a substantial role in these new arrangements.

We will provide a senior civilian to head the PRT there and members of its core civilian elements (including diplomatic, development assistance and policing personnel).

These civilian enhancements build on our military contribution in Afghanistan, where there are approximately 1550 Australian defence personnel. The focus of this effort remains on mentoring and training the Afghan National Army 4th Brigade in Uruzgan Province so it can conduct independent security operations, and provide security for the Afghan people. Our military are also involved in providing force protection for civilian efforts, and in conducting and supporting operations more broadly across Regional Command (South).
We would like to recognise – and thank – the Netherlands for its achievements in Uruzgan. Australia looks forward to working with the United States, as well as our other ISAF partners, Slovakia and Singapore, to assist in stabilising Uruzgan.

We also look forward to continuing engagement with UNAMA in expanding civilian efforts across Afghanistan. Australia’s strongly supports UNAMA’s focus on “three plus one priorities”: support for elections, reconciliation and reintegration; regional cooperation and aid coherence.

Australia welcomes the work underway in preparation for the September 2010 Afghan parliamentary elections; noting that, vitally, this process is Afghan owned and led. The UN of course retains a necessary role in coordinating international support for the electoral process.

Mr President

As Ambassador Tanin has said today, it is important that the Afghan Government learns from the experience of the 2009 elections. Progress to date has been promising. But there is more to be done. The Government needs to press ahead with key electoral reforms, with a focus on strengthening anti-fraud measures and improving the capacity of the Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission. These reforms will obviously be critical to building a strong, democratic foundation for Afghanistan.

We strongly support Afghan led-reconciliation and reintegration, and believes that work in this area -- at both the grassroots and political levels -- is critical to ending the conflict. We will contribute $25 million to the Peace and Reintegration Trust Fund.

We welcome the Afghan Government’s draft Peace and Reintegration Plan, which marks an important step towards Afghan ownership of the reintegration process.

As the Special Representative and others have emphasised today, regional cooperation involving all of Afghanistan’s near neighbours is vital to secure a stable and peaceful Afghanistan as well as regional stability, including in combating transnational issues such as the narcotics trade and the illegal movement of people.

UNAMA’s efforts to encourage regional countries to cooperate in halting these activities and to support Afghanistan in its own efforts to achieve security and stability are welcome.

Australia shares the assessment of the Secretary-General that this is a critical year for Afghanistan. There have been setbacks and there will be more. But we are also seeing real progress.

In 2002, nine per cent of Afghans had access to health care; today that figure is 65 per cent. Afghan women hold almost a quarter of all seats in Afghanistan’s National Assembly – a level above that of the international average, by the way – and a stark contrast to conditions under oppressive Taliban rule. The numbers of teachers has almost doubled since 2002 and access to education has grown dramatically. We need to extend and intensify this progress.

In conclusion, Mr President

It is obviously important that the Afghan Government and its international partners, including Australia, remain committed and focused -- with fortitude and resolve, to use the words of Afghanistan’s Ambassador -- on the task at hand: fighting the insurgency, combating corruption, and improving governance and the delivery of essential services to the Afghan people.

Thank you, Mr President.