Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-03-Speech-3-257"
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"en.20020703.7.3-257"2
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"Mr President, I should like to thank Mr Posselt for his question. Like
and other international observers, the Council is generally satisfied with the outcome of the extraordinary meeting held in Kabul in the middle of June. In general, the
process has successfully fulfilled the objectives set in the Bonn Agreement, that is to say of choosing a Head of State and approving the structure of the transitional administration, together with its key personalities. The most important political forces in the country have supported this
and there has been unusually strong popular support throughout the process. This
was apparently the most representative the country has ever had. It had a good ethnic balance and there was a significant number of women among the delegates. That is a noteworthy achievement in view of the difficult political and security environment and the tight timetable, a partially displaced population and the lack of reliable infrastructure and statistics. The Council is, however, also clear about the difficulties and problems there have been in the period leading up to the
In a number of cases, the election of delegates was disrupted by organisational problems and also by attempts to harass, bribe, intimidate or kill candidates. That being said, these episodes were rare and did not alter the structure and timetable of the process. Nor were they able to undermine its legitimacy. The Council remains convinced that the extraordinary meeting has paved the way for further reconciliation between the various ethnic groups and for its now being possible to create a stable political structure, something which is essential for the further reconstruction of Afghanistan.
In this connection, the Council would once again emphasise that the reconstruction aid from the EU, pledged in Tokyo, is still conditional upon all the Afghan parties’ making a positive contribution to the process and the objectives established in the Bonn Agreement. With regard to further stabilisation of the country, the EU has confirmed many times since the beginning of the Bonn process that it is firmly resolved to support the reconstruction of Afghanistan. In the future too, the Member States will supply most of the ISAF forces in Kabul. The Community and the Member States will continue to supply the reconstruction aid pledged at the international donor conference held in Tokyo in January of this year. The Community and the Member States have pledged to donate EUR 600 million in this year alone, and EUR 2.3 billion in the subsequent years up until 2006. As one of the four leaders of the steering group for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, the EU will continue to play an active role in the country’s reconstruction. The EU will also go on providing the much needed humanitarian aid and will therefore continue to be by far the largest donor of aid to Afghanistan. I might add that it was stated in the declaration in Seville that repatriation aid will be provided to Afghanistan, as requested by the UNHCR.
In recent months, a good many projects designed rapidly to take effect have been implemented on the spot, and ever more medium and long-term reconstruction and development projects are in the process of getting under way. The EU will continue to be heavily involved in the necessary reform of the security sector, where a number of Member States will continue to play a leading role in the training of the army, border guards, police forces, anti-drugs squads and so on. High-level visits by quite a few EU delegations have deepened political contacts with the Afghan leaders, and these contacts will continue. Last but not least, they will also form a sound basis for a continued dialogue on matters of substance with the Afghan authorities. They will also increase the visibility of the EU and raise its profile in the country, as well as help channel future EU aid to Afghanistan. That is why it is important for the EU to have a special representative in Kabul, for the Member States to open embassies there and for the Commission to open a representation."@en1
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