EU Presidency Statement - The situation in Afghanistan

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey and Croatia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.

Mr. President,

The European Union welcomes the decision announced by the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) to hold Presidential elections in Afghanistan in October 2004. These elections are a key requirement under the Bonn Agreement of December 2001 and represent a new milestone in the process of constructing a democratic, stable and prosperous Afghanistan. Furthermore, the JEMB has announced that the elections for the Lower House of Parliament (the Wolesi Jirga) and the local elections will be held in spring 2005.

The EU welcomes the fact that an encouraging number of presidential candidates have put forward their candidacy. This is an important landmark on the path towards democracy. The EU understands that technical and logistical reasons made it impossible to hold both sets of elections concurrently this autumn. It is now important to use the remaining months to ensure that the successful preparations continue apace and all conditions be met for free and fair elections according to the JEMB's timetable. In this context, the EU wishes to commend the Joint Electoral Management Body's tremendous achievement with the registration of nearly all eligible voters in Afghanistan and welcomes the fact that, among those registered voters, 41% are women. The European Union is supporting and assisting the Afghan Government in the preparation of elections, inter alia through financial assistance and the Democracy and Election Support Mission.

The European Union condemns the violence against election workers, which resulted in several casualties. Similarly, the European Union is also gravely concerned about the deplorable murders and attacks against international humanitarian personnel and those working for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. The high levels of insecurity in several areas of Afghanistan are a reminder of the need to provide security during the elections, to rebuild the Afghan army and to intensify the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration process. The commitment and engagement of the Afghan Transitional Authority in this regard is crucial.

Counter narcotics is another important area. The European Union welcomes the recent seizures by the Afghan Special Narcotics Force and urges the Afghan Government and the international community to work together to tackle the problem, which affects almost every aspect of Afghanistan's development and security.

Mr. President,

Afghanistan has made enormous progress in the past years. Many challenges remain to be overcome, and although several of those may seem daunting, the EU believes that the people of Afghanistan have the courage and the determination to overcome them. The continued international engagement and support is also crucial and the EU will remain committed to a secure, stable, free, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan.

Thank you Mr. President.

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