31 January 2003
U.N. Envoy Outlines 2003 Challenges for Afghanistan
(Don't forsake Afghanistan, Brahimi tells Security Council) (800) By Judy Aita Washington File Staff Writer United Nations -- The three challenges for Afghanistan in 2003 are to strengthen and build key government institutions, address the political and security uncertainties, and meet the rising expectation of Afghans, the U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan said January 31. Lakhdar Brahimi, special representative of the secretary general in Afghanistan, stressed in a report to the Security Council that new challenges elsewhere in the world must not take away from support for the critical programs Afghanistan must undertake and continue. "Afghans are watching closely developments elsewhere with some sense of fear that they will be forgotten again," he said. "They do not clamor for international assistance for the sake of international assistance, but they do understand too well how vulnerable they still are to forces that, if unchecked, may consume them again and undo the significant progress that has been made in the last year." Brahimi said that the government of President Hamid Karzai and its international partners must support a clear plan of action for the country's three main goals for 2003 if the fragile foundations of peace are to become irreversible and Taliban influence ended. "The progress made in implementing the peace process has over the past year been remarkable, but now is not the time for complacency," Brahimi said during a public meeting of the council. "This year's agenda is every bit as challenging as the last year's, if not more so," he said. "I am optimistic that the progress made to date can be capitalized upon and the challenges ahead can be met, but this will require the continued commitment of the Afghan people to the process together with the sustained engagement of the international community." Support for the remnants of the Taliban in some areas of the country "remind us that the peace process is far from secure," Brahimi said. But if real progress is made on the government's three main goals "there is every reason to hope that the peace process will, in time become irreversible." On the first goal -- building state institutions -- progress must be made in building the army, training and reforming the police, and drafting and ratifying a new constitution, Brahimi said. Urging the international community's continued support for the building of a new army, Brahimi said that the project "is fundamental to security and therefore to the entire peace process." Equally important is the effective demobilization of former combatants, Brahimi said. Japan is providing significant funding for a program that will register soldiers and, though a series of benefits and training packages, help them return to civilian life as contributors to their communities rather than burdens. Help is needed in establishing the judicial system, but no donors have committed funds, he also said. "Progress in establishing the rule of law will continue to be significantly constrained by the depleted pool of experienced lawyers and the limited capacity of the penal system." "It is clear that a humane and well-functioning penal system is absolutely integral to the functioning and credibility of the justice sector," Brahimi said. Currently too many Afghans feel excluded from the government and the political process, therefore the second goal is to "broaden the political base supporting the peace process," he said. "The door should be open to those who wish to participate in good faith, rather than leaving them outside the fold where they would have a growing incentive to undermine the peace process," Brahimi said. Reconstruction projects must be ones that can build the economy and increase confidence, he said. One of the highest priorities is helping reintegrate the 1.2 million refugees who are expected to return in 2003. Planning is under way for a "national emergency employment program" which would generate millions of workdays and assist in reviving local economics, Brahimi said. Drug production and trafficking remains a critical concern, Brahimi said. Significant poppy cultivation, driven by poverty and economic necessity, has begun and, with it, other profitable aspects of the drug trade, such as refining and transportation, are also returning. The Karzai government has launched a poppy eradication program in the five main drug-producing provinces, but it is too early to say how effective the campaign will be, the special envoy reported. "It is clear that Afghanistan has made remarkable progress on many fronts" in the past year, Brahimi also said. Major political milestones were reached on time including the holding of the emergency Loya Jirga and the establishment of the current Transitional Administration under President Karzai. The government developed a comprehensive budget through inter-ministerial planning and successfully launched a new currency that is helping it reassert control over the country's fiscal regime. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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