MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

11.1.2006

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Emma Bonino
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on Afghanistan

B6‑0030/2006

European Parliament resolution on Afghanistan

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Afghanistan,

–  having regard to the new Parliament inaugurated in Afghanistan on 19 December 2005, following elections held on 18 September,

–  having regard to the de facto conclusion, with the election of a National Assembly, of the process launched by the Bonn Agreements of December 2001,

–  having regard to the election of Provincial Councils in all 34 provinces across the country,

–  having regard to the EU-Afghanistan Partnership Agreement signed in Strasbourg on 16 November 2005,

–  having regard to the opening of the international conference in London on 31 January aimed at establishing a post-Bonn Compact that will address the international community’s support with regard to security, governance and development challenges in Afghanistan,

A.  whereas the adoption of a new Constitution in January 2004, the holding of presidential elections in October 2004 and of parliamentary and provincial elections in September 2005 – with the participation of millions of registered voters in both cases – were all important steps in a transition process designed to put in place more representative and democratic institutions, thereby helping to bring about a peaceful and sustainable future for Afghanistan after a quarter of a century of conflict and oppression,

B.  whereas ensuring adequate levels of security is still a priority in Afghanistan, mainly in the southern and south-eastern provinces, which still require an international presence in order to fight terrorism and to restore peaceful conditions throughout the country,

C.  whereas gender discrimination, which reached unprecedented levels under the Taliban regime, remains an issue to be addressed urgently, including traditions such as house confinement and forced marriages,

D.  whereas the pervasive opium and heroin production carries the risk of permanently affecting the nation’s politics, crippling its society and distorting a fragile economy while consolidating a corrupt narco-elite,

1.  Expresses its sympathy to the Afghan people who, throughout the Bonn process and in particular on the occasion of both polls, demonstrated an extraordinary will in overcoming the difficulties posed by a post-conflict situation and to be committed to peace and democracy-building;

2.  Welcomes the success of the recent elections which were, taking into account their complexity and operational challenges as reported also by the European Union Election Observation Mission, an extraordinary accomplishment;

3.  Believes that, following these elections, the Afghan authorities as a whole – but namely the Office of the President, the Government, the National Assembly and the Provincial Councils – emerge with full popular legitimacy and that the Afghan people’s expectations must now be met by good and accountable governance, starting with the adoption of sustainable reforms aimed at improving people’s quality of life as well as of credible measures favouring gender and ethnic equality;

4.  Considers that Afghanistan, having completed this process, is now a leading country in the region as a whole in terms of democratisation, and therefore calls on the international aid community, and in particular on the participants of the London Conference, to take this factor into due consideration;

5.  Underlines, given the urgent needs of the Afghan population, the importance of streamlining coordination amongst donors, including a reduction of time-consuming procedures; therefore, calls on the United Nations to lead such coordination and calls on the Council and the Commission to ensure that EU Member States work together with a common approach so as to better serve the interests of Afghan people;

6.  Calls on the Council, the Commission and Member States to support the Afghan authorities in taking further responsibility in establishing the rule of law, such as protecting basic human rights, guaranteeing freedom of expression, setting up an independent and trustworthy judiciary, improving law enforcement (in particular in view of fighting corruption), creating a system of checks and balances to define the roles and powers of each institution and promoting political pluralism;

7.  Affirms the need to deal with Afghanistan within a regional framework; therefore, calls on the Council and the Commission to develop a policy for stability and democracy in the region ;

8.  Welcomes, in this regard, the fact that Afghanistan has recently joined the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and, within such a regional framework, urges all neighbouring countries to refrain from any interference in Afghan sovereignty;

9.  Calls the Commission and the Member States to assist the local authorities by providing adequate training for both Members and staff of the Afghan Parliament; considers that the European Parliament should offer its assistance;

10.  Condemns all terrorist actions which have caused deaths among the civilian population, the police forces, domestic aid workers and international troops and congratulates the Afghan people, in particular Afghan women, who defied intimidation and threats in order to participate in the electoral process, either as candidates, electoral staff, local observers or voters;

11.  Reaffirms the need for the Afghan authorities, in cooperation with international troops operating in the country, to continue to fight terrorism and to put an end to factionalism;

12.  Welcomes the possible expansion of the International Security Assistance Force in the country, including to the southern provinces, and supports plans for a single – or more integrated – command structure for all operations by international forces in Afghanistan;

13.  Expresses its belief that popular support is essential for a successful outcome in the fight against terrorism and therefore calls on NATO and on Coalition forces to review rules of engagement and all measures that might improve both security standards and the level of protection of the civilian population affected by military action in combat areas;

14.  Expresses deep concern about illegal drug production – as highlighted by the recent Afghan Opium Survey 2005 carried out by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in particular the latest statistics on domestic heroin consumption – which could lead to an HIV/AIDS emergency in the region;

15.  Draws attention to the extremely high costs and serious flaws in terms of effectiveness of a counter-narcotics strategy based only on eradication and alternative livelihood;

16.  Calls on the participants of the London Conference to promote a sincere and open-minded debate on the drug issue and therefore to take into consideration the merits of different ideas and approaches, including the proposal of licensed production of opium for medical purposes, as already granted to a number of countries;

17.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Chair of the London Conference, the Government and Parliament of Afghanistan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the governments of Pakistan, India, Russia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and China.