Afghans disturbed by ongoing international debate: Tanin

The Afghan people are disturbed by ongoing debates in some troop-contributing nations who are drawing withdrawal plans, the Afghan envoy to the UN, Zahir Tanin, told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.

He urged the powerful council the world body the need to show a long-term commitment and show patience in Afghanistan.

“Afghans have great hopes, and great expectations, from our international friends and allies,” Tanin said. “But they are nevertheless disturbed by the ongoing debates among and between our international allies, and concerned that sustainable progress may be difficult to achieve if we do not show patience, fortitude and long-term commitment.”

Renewed partnership between Afghanistan and the international community must embody recognition that trust and responsibility are equally important for all partners, rather than being the sole preserve of any one, Tanin told the council in an open debate on Afghanistan.

To build the confidence and trust of the Afghan people, efforts should be geared towards ensuring the transition strategy is implemented in practice, through capacity-building, empowering Afghans, and avoiding waste, he added.

In his address to the Security Council, the Secretary-Generals Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Staffan de Mistura, said security remains a major challenge for Afghanistan; as the country gears up to hold the Kabul conference and hold parliamentary elections later this year.

“This is indeed a crucial year in Afghanistan. It is a year in which we are all trying, together with the Afghan authorities and the Afghan people, to reach a form of stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan,” Mistura said.

In his latest report on Afghanistan, the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, said the overall security situation has not improved and remains unstable.

Reporting on the Councils visit to Kabul from 21 to 24 June, Turkeys Permanent Representative, Ertugrul Apakan, who had led the mission, stressed that Afghan ownership should be supported by the international community, and that the United Nations should be part of the process.

“The key work should be the Afghan leadership and Afghan responsibility in the period ahead,” he said, adding that Council members had encouraged the Afghan authorities to advance their efforts to uphold the rule of law, human rights, and womens and childrens rights, and had stressed the importance of combating the narcotics industry and trade.

The US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, remarking on the Councils trip to Kabul, noted that Afghan representatives and leaders had briefed the Council delegation on their efforts towards reconciliation and reintegration, and on efforts to pull insurgent commanders off the field. They had asked for the removal of some names from the UN sanction list.

Rice said the Council is now reviewing the names on that blacklist on a case-by-case basis to see whether their listing remained appropriate, and the United States is looking forward to receiving information from the Afghan government on individuals for removal, which was vital and urgent to that process.