H.E. Neven Jurica, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations, gave a statement on Security Council Debate on Afghanistan.
Mr. President,
First of all, I would like to welcome the presence among us of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, H.E. Mr. Rangin Dadfar Spanta and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, H.E. Mr. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and I thank them for their statements.
I thank and appreciate today's briefings by Mr. Kai Eide, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, and by Mr. John Holmes, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
Mr. President,
Croatia aligned itself fully with the earlier statement pronounced by the French Ambassador on behalf of the European Union. Therefore I would like to focus my statement on several key issues.
At the outset, allow me to extend our condolences to Afghanistan and India and also to the families of victims of a heinous and shocking terrorist attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul.
Mr. President,
At the Paris Conference, the international community reaffirmed its commitment to work closely under the Afghan leadership in support of the Afghan National Development Strategy based on the Afghanistan Compact. Croatia supports the vision and goals outlined in this Strategy. Croatia also welcomes the review of the Afghanistan Compact prepared by the co-chairs of the Joint Coordination and Monitoring Board as well as its substantive conclusions.
We subscribe to the recommendation of the Special Representative that priorities identified at the Paris Conference are sufficiently covered by UNAMA's mandate as laid out in Security Council resolution 1806. In this respect, we underscore that greater human, administrative, and security resources will need to be mobilized in order for UNAMA to fulfill its mandate and to achieve the priorities established in Paris. Consequently, Croatia fully supports the Secretary-General's request for additional qualified personnel and financial resources.
Since the launching of Afghanistan Compact, there has been notable progress in many areas, but daunting challenges remain. We are concerned with the increase of insurgency in certain parts of the Afghanistan and especially deplore the fact that the asymmetric attacks, on which insurgents heavily rely, resulted in large number of civilian casualties.
The threat to security and stability of Afghanistan posed by terrorists, criminals and those involved in the trade of illicit drugs is real and needs to be continuously addressed. We look forward to more active fight against production and trafficking of narcotics, and recall the need for full implementation of Security Council resolution 1817 on the international cooperation to strengthen monitoring of the international trade in chemical precursors.
On the other hand, Croatia welcomes positive developments in areas of health and education, infrastructure and economic growth, but also in building stronger Afghan national security forces. At the same time, much more remains to be done, primarily in the areas of rule of law and law enforcement, government capacity, development, private sector and personal security of all Afghan citizens.
We reiterate the importance of consolidation of democracy, including through free, fair and secure elections in 2009 and 2010. Having in mind the challenges related to practical preparations of the elections, we support the strengthening of UNAMA's electoral capacity and its interaction with the Afghan Government and the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission.
Regarding the support for the National Development Strategy, especially in agriculture and energy sectors, we believe the international community has to be ready to provide necessary resources according to the priorities set by the Strategy. Croatia supports the assessment of the Secretary-General that this support will have to be guided and promoted by UNAMA and that this new focus will require new resources and expertise, as well as new internal organizational structure of UNAMA.
Strengthening of the Afghan government institutions and improvement of service delivery to all Afghans is another priority, which includes support for police reform, strengthening the rule of law and supporting public administration reform. These actions are critically important for creation of a properly functioning state, but also serve as preconditions for garnering popular support required to help combat the insurgency.
The international community agreed in Paris to deliver its assistance in a more coordinated way and channel it increasingly through the national budget in order to make it more predictable, transparent and accountable. Croatia fully supports this effort and stands ready to act accordingly.
Regarding the humanitarian assistance, in the light of the recent developments it is necessary to increase attention to a worsening food situation and we welcome the launching of an appeal in Kabul today by the Afghan government and the United Nations. Croatia further recognizes the essential role of neighboring countries in providing support to the Government of Afghanistan to achieve stability and prosperity. We would also like to add our voice to those who have welcomed intensive and constructive dialogue between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Croatia supports recommendation by the Secretary-General that UNAMA should proceed with another expansion of its field presence through the opening of six new provincial offices over the next 12 months, simultaneously taking into account security concerns of the staff members as a matter of highest priority. Croatia believes that these outreach activities are of crucial importance in the implementation of UNAMA's mandate. Croatia hopes that new plans for the United Nations Country Team will significantly contribute to a more coherent and effective response from the United Nations in Afghanistan in 2008, while respecting the Afghan ownership.
Finally, Mr. President, Croatia believes that through partnership between Afghanistan and international community under the Afghan leadership, based on mutual trust and obligations, we will achieve our common goals. We are determined to take our part in rebuilding a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan.
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