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Int'l process needed to secure Afghan stability, NATO warned

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, Mar 24, IRNA -- A high-ranking group of seven former military, political and diplomatic leaders Wednesday joined together to call for a fresh approach for an international process to secure a political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan.

“First, the international community must endorse a diplomatic strategy for addressing not only the drivers of conflict inside Afghanistan but also its regional and international dimensions,” they warned in an open letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

“Second, this must be translated into a tangible international process with strong backing from the UN Security Council, its member states and other international bodies who can offer their good offices, such as the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Conference),” their letter said.

“We therefore request that you set out a clear course of action to take forward an internationally-backed process to secure a comprehensive settlement to end the conflict in Afghanistan for the UN Security Council to endorse before the next major conference on Afghanistan due in July,” it said.

Signatories of the letter include former British foreign secretary David Miliband, former NATO secretary general Lord Robertson, former US ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn and former UN special representative for Afghanistan Tom Koenigs.

Their intervention comes after Afghan President Hamid Karzai proceeded to announce a handover from NATO troops to Afghan security forces in seven areas ahead of the UN voting next week to renew its annual mandate for the ISAF forces’ operations to continue.

Their intervention acknowledged that after 10 years “in countries with troops in Afghanistan, discontent grows over military casualties and the financial burden of war.”

“Some argue that the best the international community can hope for it to engineer an honorable exit for its forces. We do not agree. A transition from international troops to Afghan forces on the front-line will not be enough to make Afghanistan stable,” their letter said.

“We demand a fresh approach in Afghanistan. Now is the time to fill the obvious gap in the international strategy, namely a coherent and focussed international effort to support a political settlement to end the conflict; pursued with the same drive and leadership currently devoted to the military front.”

“This is the only road out of Afghanistan that promises a better future for Afghans and for its neighbours and global allies,” the signatories warned.

In a separate development, a group of eight aid agencies, including Oxfam, Christian Aid and Afghanaid, joined together to also launch a new campaign for a comprehensive peace process in Afghanistan and for better protection of civilians.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 30309017