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Speech by Laila Freivalds, Minister for Foreign Affairs

November 27, 2005

Speech by Minister for Foreign Affairs Laila Freivalds at the Afghanistan Conference in Stockholm: Four years after Bonn

Excellencies, distinguished guests, dear friends,

Four years after the fall of the Taliban, the difficult task to rebuild infrastructure, legal institutions and political structures in Afghanistan continues. The Bonn-agreement, which was signed in Petersberg in Germany almost four years ago, laid the foundations for the ultimate goal to establish a sustainable democracy in a stable and secure Afghanistan.

Most components of the Bonn agreement have now been completed. It is time to take stock of developments in Afghanistan during the last couple of years. What has been achieved? What could we have done better? What shall we do in the future?

I would like to thank the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan for providing this opportunity to reflect on the past and, even more important, to consider the future options for Afghanistan.

I think it is fair to say that the Bonn agreement has provided Afghanistan and the international community with a useful road map for the development of democracy in Afghanistan. It is impossible to establish a fully-fledged democratic system in only four years. Nevertheless, I am impressed with the long strides towards democracy that have been taken in Afghanistan since 2001. During the last four years Afghanistan has managed to adopt a Constitution and hold not one, but two national elections. This is something few countries can handle.

The transitional phase is now over. A President has been elected, a Government has been appointed and a Parliament will soon be able to start its work. This increased ability to govern Afghanistan also raises expectations on greater responsibility. The people of Afghanistan expect not only Afghan governance but also good governance.

The people of Afghanistan should also expect a strong and sustained commitment from the international community. The European Union's continued commitment to support Afghanistan was manifested a few days ago when president Karzai and Javier Solana signed the EU-Afghan Joint Political Declaration. This document outlines the commitment and responsibilities of the EU and Afghanistan in the common efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.

For the last four years, the UN has played a key role in assisting Afghanistan on its journey from conflict to sustainable peace and development. The UN Mission to Afghanistan - UNAMA - has successfully been assisting the Government of Afghanistan in its implementation of the Bonn Agreement. This has given the process a strong national ownership.

Acting under a UN mandate, the NATO-led International Assistance Force has played a key role in contributing to peace and democracy in Afghanistan. ISAF is there to help the Afghan Government providing the security, which is so necessary if the Afghan Government is to be able to extend its proper role and presence in the provinces - and so that development and humanitarian activities can be carried out safely. ISAF supports security sector reforms which are an important part of building democratic structures. In its daily work, ISAF is a good example of the close link between development and security.

With all the central elements in the Bonn Agreement implemented, we now need to give attention to how the international community best can assist the Afghan government in the future. The forthcoming conference in London in January 2006 will primarily focus on this issue. Sweden will emphasize the need for a continued strong UN presence in Afghanistan.

For the UN, there are at least two lessons to be learned from its operations in Afghanistan. Firstly, UNAMA has been an umbrella organistion for 19 UN agencies in Afghanistan. This has enhanced the cohesion among the UN agencies, and the capacity to work in co-operation, under one UN flag. Secondly, the light footprint approach, together with a policy of recruiting as many Afghans as possible, has given the Afghans a key role in rebuilding their own country. This is a concept that UN could perhaps replicate to other peacekeeping missions.

ISAF is successively expanding its presence in Afghanistan. Sweden welcomes this. Preparations are being made for an increased Swedish presence in ISAF. Subject to parliamentary approval, Sweden plans to take the lead of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e-Sharif as of March next year. This would mean doubling our contribution to ISAF, an expression of the priority which we attach to ISAF. Our experiences of contributing to the PRT have been positive. Now Sweden wants to take on a greater role and responsibility - and it is a task we believe that we can do well.

As ISAF expands, it will increasingly be active in areas where the Afghan National Army and the US-led coalition are also present. This means that the cooperation that already exists between these efforts will need to increase. There are reasons for this, including exchanging information necessary for the safety of our troops. For Sweden, it remains important, however, that ISAF and OEF continue to be two distinct and separate operations with different mandates, tasks and chains of command. Sweden's contribution will continue to be part of ISAF, under its important peace support mandate from the UN.

Security and development are closely linked to human rights. One key institution for human rights in Afghanistan is the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. The work carried out by the Human Rights Commission is crucial in the democratisation of Afghanistan. Respect for human rights and rule of law are key components in every democracy. The Human Rights Commission must be given full political support to carry out its task independently. It is my sincere hope that reports about violations of human rights will become much less common than during the last years.

The situation for the women of Afghanistan remains a cause for great concern although a lot has improved. It is encouraging that around 25 % of the members of Parliament are women. Nevertheless, reports about violence against women and lack of respect for their rights are unfortunately rather common. It is unacceptable that 50% of the population is treated as second-class citizens. We must continue to support the women of Afghanistan so that their rights are fully respected and they are given their rightful place in Afghan public life.

While many challenges remains until we will see a fully democratic and developed Afghanistan, it is truly encourageing to follow the rapid democratic progress in the country. In a few weeks the first Parliamentary debates for more than three decades will be held in Afghanistan. I hope this will be a forum where views are exchanged and political agendas are formulated. Through Parliament, Afghanistan can develop a democratic political culture in which disputes are solved by peaceful means and not by force.

Let me turn to one of the greatest challenges for the Afghan government - the narcotics issue. If we want to see a stable Afghanistan, the narcotics issue have to be addressed. This is not an easy task to handle, and the Afghan authorities will continue to need the support from the international community. A counter-narcotics plan must be characterised by determination and patience. There are some small positive signs, but let us be realistic: We will not be able to rid Afghanistan of the narcobusiness next year or the year after, but if we continue to work together we will see results. There must be a functioning justice system in Afghanistan and key individuals involved in narcotics must be brought to justice. But there have also be alternatives to poppy cultivation. Farmers must be provided with opportunities and incentives to alternative livelihoods.

An other demanding issue challenging the development in Afghanistan is of course absence of security. The security situation in Afghanistan is still worrying. Criminal gangs, warlords and terrorists still pose a serious threat to lasting stability. The violence is a threat to the common Afghan in his or her everyday life. In addition, the lack of security in some parts of Afghanistan hampers the efforts to rebuild Afghanistan.

The many years of war still casts its shadows over present day Afghanistan. Several crimes and atrocities have been committed during the long period of civil war and unrest. To be able to move ahead in the reconciliation process it is necessary to bring those guilty to justice. The Afghan people want to see the individuals responsible for war crimes held accountable.

There can be no security without development and no development without security. Sweden has been supporting Afghanistan substantially for several years. In fact, Afghanistan remains the third largest recipient of Swedish development assistance. Currently a new country strategy for Afghanistan is being finalised. Apart from efforts to promote democracy and education we hope to focus more on gender issues and counter narcotics.

Before I conclude I would like to say a few words about the remarkable history of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan. During the organisations 25 years of existence it has grown rapidly from a small group trying to draw the world's attention to the suffering of the Afghan people during the Soviet occupation to one of, if not the leading NGO in Afghanistan. The Swedish Committee, as the organisation is known in Afghanistan, has remained in Afghanistan through all the difficult years making a crucial difference for the common Afghan. It should be noted that the good reputation, which I understand Sweden enjoys in Afghanistan to a large extent, has been built up through the efforts of the Swedish Committee. I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the organisation for a successful first 25 years and thank all the people whose strong and sustained commitment has contributed to the Committees important work - and to improvements in daily life for many people of Afghanistan

There is no doubt that several difficult hurdles remain to be passed before we can see a fully reconstructed, secure and democratic Afghanistan. The elections are only the first steps on this long and difficult road. Democracy is extremely difficult to build up but too easy to destroy. The international community will continue to support Afghanistan in its efforts establish a sustainable democracy. Let there be no doubt that Sweden remains fully committed to supporting the Afghans in the work to rebuild their country.