PRESS BRIEFING ON SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN

PRESS BRIEFING ON SECURITY COUNCIL MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger briefed reporters at Headquarters today on the Security Council’s upcoming mission to Afghanistan, scheduled to take place from 31 October to 7 November.

The mission, based on the interest of the Council to see the Bonn Agreement implemented, would help encourage the further strengthening of the peace process.  “The mission will signal to the Government, and also to the Afghan citizens, the international community’s continuing commitment to the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan”, he said.  “And, by that signal, also promote further international and regional support.”

In addition to expressing support, Ambassador Pleuger said the mission would also stress the need to improve security measures in Afghanistan, in light of preparations for elections, expected to take place in 2004.  Improved security would come about as a result of reforms in the security sector, he said, and the start of the disarmament process.

Led by Ambassador Pleuger, the 15-member mission was also interested in observing the operations of the United NationsAssistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in reviewing the humanitarian and human rights situation, and in investigating counter-narcotics efforts.  Narcotics were a growing problem in Afghanistan, he said, pointing to their “great detrimental effect” on the rebuilding of the country.

Members of the mission will meet with several United Nations agency heads, non-governmental organization officials, as well as with the Ambassadors of Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan, among others.  On 5 November, a meeting will be held with Atta Mohammad and General Abdulrashid Dostum; one of the mission’s most important meetings, according to Ambassador Pleuger.  That meeting, to take place in Mazar-i-Sharif, will send a strong message to the two warlords to make certain that the current ceasefire held.  “Military conflict between warlords is a detriment to the authority of the central government”, he said, adding that it also hampered the implementation of the Bonn Agreement.

Asked to elaborate on what the mission expected from its meetings with the Ambassadors of Pakistan and Iran, he said they were interested in learning the view of the Ambassadors of the situation in Afghanistan, the continued development there, and cooperative efforts with regard to implementation of the Bonn Agreement.

With respect to the fight on drugs, Ambassador Pleuger said that the mission would attempt to get as much information as possible on the situation, and find ways to help fight the problem.  He also expected to learn about the Government’s plans to cope with the growing problem.

Other members of the mission to Afghanistan include: Candido Pereira dos Santos Van-Dunem (Angola), Stefan Tafrov (Bulgaria), Mathieu Blaise Banoum (Cameroon), Armin Andereya (Chile), Cheng Jingye (China), Jean-Marc de La Sabliere (France), Boubacar Diallo (Guinea), Adolfo Aguilar Zinser (Mexico), Masood Khalid (Pakistan), Gennady Gatilov (Russian Federation), Inocencio Arias (Spain), Bassam Sabagh (Syria), Emyr Jones Parry (United Kingdom) and John D. Negroponte (United States).

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