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Military

26 March 2002

Text: No Current Need to Expand Security Force in Afghanistan, U.S. Says

(Amb. Cunningham speaks to U.N. Security Council) (640)
United Nations -- Given the present security situation and the range
of assistance underway, the United States currently does not see the
need to expand the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
beyond Kabul and its immediate environs, U.S. Ambassador James
Cunningham said March 26.
During a Security Council discussion of the situation in Afghanistan,
Cunningham, who is the deputy permanent representative to the UN,
focused his remarks on security in the country.
"We all recognize that there are a variety of security challenges in
Afghanistan today. The Afghans are addressing these challenges and the
United States, together with others, is assisting them to do so in a
number of ways," the ambassador said.
He noted that the US will support the renewal of ISAF's mandate until
the end of the year, will provide assistance to Turkey should it take
over ISAF command, and will help train a national army and contribute
to training and equipping police.
Following is the text of the ambassador's remarks:
(begin text)
Thank you, Mr. President, and let me also welcome you to New York.
Your presence here with us today is most welcome and signifies your
country's commitment to Afghanistan. I want to completely associate
the United States with your message of condolence and sympathy to the
Afghan people in the aftermath of the earthquake today. I also want to
thank the Deputy Secretary General for her comprehensive overview of
where we stand now. I think it is a very useful outline.
We welcome the Secretary General's report on the situation in
Afghanistan and the proposal for the United Nations Assistance
Mission. We look forward to hearing other nations' views on UNAMA and
to discussing it more fully in the coming days.
For now, I want to second the Secretary General's comment that what
Ambassador Brahimi, his colleagues, the United Nations and indeed the
international community have accomplished thus far, under the
circumstances,is truly remarkable. We support the Secretary General's
intent to get an effective, efficient, and integrated Mission fully in
place as soon as possible with a light, expatriate footprint and heavy
reliance on the Afghans themselves.
Today I want to say a word about security. We all recognize that there
are a variety of security challenges in Afghanistan today. The Afghans
are addressing these challenges and the United States, together with
others, is assisting them to do so in a number of ways:
-We will continue the campaign against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
-Working with our international partners, in the coming weeks we will
begin training a national army and the United States will contribute
significantly to the training and equipping of police.
-In early April, we intend to meet with other interested countries to
discuss efforts to improve the security situation in Afghanistan.
-When ISAF's current mandate comes up for renewal, we will support its
extension through December of this year.
-We will also provide assistance to Turkey should it, as we hope,
agree to take over ISAF command from the United Kingdom.
-The United States is working through its special forces and civil
affairs teams with local Afghan commanders and these teams will
continue to help local commanders deal with contentious issues and to
discourage conflict among them.
We believe these efforts are responsive to Afghanistan's needs and are
already having a very positive impact.
Given the present security situation and the range and variety of
assistance already available or underway, we do not currently see the
need to expand ISAF's areas of activities beyond Kabul and its
immediate environs.
We remain extremely appreciative of the United Kingdom's leadership of
the International Security Assistance Force and express our thanks for
the support of the other troop-contributing nations.
Thank you, Mr. President.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)



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