Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-04-Speech-3-056"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020904.2.3-056"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
". – The Minister may well want, on behalf of the presidency, to say a word about those allegations of human rights atrocities. I was certainly intending to say something myself, which I do not imagine will be very different from the presidency's remarks. Indeed it would be a cause of considerable diplomatic anxiety were we to be saying anything very different on this subject. I am sure we will not.
The issue which was raised earlier about human rights atrocities is of very considerable concern to the international community. Among other fora, it was discussed by the Security Council in a meeting on 28 August. The UN, I am pleased to say, is prepared to assist the government in a future investigation. At the moment it is important to keep the grave site protected and to protect potential witnesses before an active investigation can be carried out. In my judgement, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan – UNAMA – is best placed to handle this delicate issue, supporting the key role of the Afghan Human Rights Commission in taking future steps. We totally accept that it will be necessary to take future steps and to be as transparent about the process as possible.
The need for steady, long-term progress must not distract us from the huge and immediate humanitarian challenge. Since March this year, 1.5 million Afghans have returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan under the UN repatriation programme. A further 116 000 have returned from Iran. This is an impressive number but it is creating a large problem for the aid agencies. The same is true of the large number of internally displaced people. The international community is now faced with additional demands, both on the humanitarian and on the security front. These bills come on top of the EUR 1.8 billion pledged for 2002 in Tokyo in January. In such an environment, it is important to get priorities right, since it is unrealistic to assume that all the additional funding requests are going to be met at once.
One such issue is the funding for the increased rate of return of refugees where some international agencies have claimed Europe has not been generous enough. I can speak for the European Commission. We have more than doubled the humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan this year – from EUR 25 million initially earmarked at the beginning of the year to EUR 60 million at present. However, I believe it is a mistake to look at this issue solely in quantitative terms. The foremost challenge is – and this has been our line from the start – to ensure that this summer’s returnees do not become again this winter’s refugees. Our interventions are therefore carefully linked to the overall sustainability of the return programme. For our rural recovery programme, the migratory flows are one important criterion for the selection of areas of intervention. Another important selection criterion is dependence on poppy production. Together with a few other donors, the Commission is leading the debate on how best to develop alternative livelihoods.
All these issues throw up one unavoidable conclusion: Afghanistan needs partners who are prepared to be there for the long haul.
This, however, is not to say that we cannot point to early achievements in our aid effort. Let me give you a few examples.
Under the Aid to Uprooted People’s programme, the Commission is funding the operation of 450 primary schools around the country in Afghanistan. We are now supporting over 200 clinics, three district- and three provincial-level hospitals. Our rural recovery and urban rehabilitation programmes are providing over 3 million person-days of work this year alone. Under a contract with Habitat, we are cleaning up five cities around Afghanistan, preventing diseases like cholera. We are co-financing a massive mine-clearance operation. We are contributing more than any other donor to the operating costs of the government (EUR 50 million from the Asia and Latin America budget and EUR 2.5 million from the Rapid Reaction Mechanism). While less visible, these sums finance the salaries of essential government servants, including nurses, doctors, policemen, teachers and civil servants.
Regarding performance, I am pleased to say that Afghanistan proves that the reform of the management of external assistance produces results even under the most difficult of circumstances. Of the EUR 120 million available so far for recovery and reconstruction, EUR 100 million has already been contracted. This figure does not include the EUR 45 million in humanitarian aid under the ECHO programme, which has already been committed, or the further EUR 15 million due to be committed under the same programme before the end of the year. I understand that Parliament will vote on a draft supplementary amending budget for the remaining EUR 70 million pledged for 2002 in October. It is intended for further support to the public administration, for much needed infrastructure projects and for a primary health care package. Preparations for implementation of this programme are well advanced. I can assure Parliament that these funds will be put to immediate use once approved.
So we will have committed in Afghanistan this year – committed and largely spent – almost EUR 250 million – a good step forward in discharging our pledge to spend EUR 1 billion over 5 years.
That, the House will recall, has been achieved almost from a standing start. It was, of course, only possible because of the understanding of the budgetary authority – Parliament and the Member States. But it has also been achieved because of the outstanding work done on the ground by our delegation and our ECHO staff. I cannot speak too highly of their cheerful dedication and professionalism in very tough circumstances. I much enjoyed meeting them during my visit in May and look forward to making a return trip. We in the Commission have good reason to be proud of those, like our team in Kabul, who do such a first-class job. They will, I know, work as well with our new, experienced EU representative Ambassador Vendrell as they did with his committed predecessor Ambassador Klaiber.
I am determined to ensure that the European Commission remains fully engaged in Afghanistan even if world attention shifts to other places of conflict and post-conflict rehabilitation. Let me again thank the European Parliament for its very constructive attitude in dealing with additional budgetary needs to underwrite this commitment.
I would like to thank Parliament for this timely opportunity to review the situation in Afghanistan. It is almost a year ago that the events of 11 September catapulted a country which the European Commission’s humanitarian office had labelled a 'forgotten crisis' at the beginning of that year, into the limelight of world attention.
I hope that as the months and years pass, Members of this Parliament will be able to go to Afghanistan – as they have been going to the Balkans in the last few years – and see European assistance being provided generously, efficiently and wisely, as it should be everywhere.
Since then we have witnessed remarkable changes for the better: the Taliban regime imploded more rapidly than some expected, leading to the installation of an interim authority which soon established its credentials around the world and – even more importantly – managed to develop a balanced relationship with its neighbours. In June this year, an Emergency Loya Jirga brought to power a Transitional Authority which has more democratic legitimacy than any of the previous regimes over the last two decades. By and large therefore, the Bonn process is on track.
However, there is still a pretty bumpy road ahead. As Afghanistan moves into the post-Loya Jirga phase, a number of key challenges need to be addressed.
The most imminent is internal security – or rather, to be more accurate, the lack of it. So far, President Karzai has found it extremely difficult to extend the authority of the central government to the regions, despite his own formidable efforts. This challenge is linked to the difficulty of turning warlords into politicians. Some of them continue to thrive on drugs and other illicit trade; some profit from their involvement in the Operation Enduring Freedom; others are attempting to openly challenge the leadership of President Karzai.
In this fluid environment, concerted long-term international support for the central government is more crucial than ever. This brings me to my second point.
Unless President Karzai manages to show that the trust he generates among the international community in its turn generates tangible economic benefits and improved security, he will not find it easy to convince his rivals that he is the best man to lead the country through this difficult transitional period. As the going gets tougher, he needs even more of our support. The Commission is therefore pursuing – along with other donors – a two-pronged strategy: delivering a tangible peace dividend to the population as swiftly as possible, while ensuring that most of this assistance flows through the central government.
In turn – and this is my third point – we insist absolutely on the conditionality of our assistance. In a nutshell, this means strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the Bonn process as well as to sound macroeconomic and financial management.
Let me turn briefly to the Bonn Agreement. The appointment of the Constitutional Commission is due very shortly. This Commission’s work paves the way for the general elections due by mid-2004. It will have to make difficult decisions on the future centre-provincial structure, the question of secular versus Islamic society, gender issues and the role of minorities, to name but a few thorny questions. This Commission, together with the Judicial Commission, will also have an impact on the dealings with war criminals, both past and present. It will take time to find lasting solutions to many of these issues. The important thing, however, is that we see this country progressing, with our assistance, towards peace and long-term stability."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples