COMMUNIQUE ON THE SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN, ADOPTED ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2002, AT THE HIGH-LEVEL AD HOC MEETING ON AFGHANISTAN

Unofficial translation from Russian

1. The heads of the delegations met at United Nations Headquarters under the aegis of the Secretary General to discuss the situation in Afghanistan.

2. They heard the address of the head of the Transitional Authority of Afghanistan, His Excellency Mr. Hamid Karzai, on the situation in Afghanistan.

3. The ministers and senior officials took note of the positive shifts gradually taking place in Afghanistan since the conclusion of the Bonn Agreement. They reaffirmed their readiness to implement the Security Council's Resolutions 1378 (2001), 1383 (2001), 1401 (2002) and 1419 (2002).

4. The ministers and senior officials hailed the successful and peaceful holding of the Emergency Loya Jirga on June 11-19, 2002, the election of President Hamid Karzai by secret ballot as the Head of State and the establishment of the Transitional Authority.

5. The ministers and senior officials agreed that a steady peace process in Afghanistan would further enhance stability in the region as a whole. In this connection they underscored the importance of mutual respect of the principles of territorial integrity and noninterference in the internal affairs of states.

6. They expressed their full support for President Hamid Karzai and the Transitional Authority and reiterated their invariable support for the implementation of the provisions of the Bonn Agreement, including the holding of free and fair elections to a representative government in 2004. They also reiterated their firm support for the efforts of the Transitional Authority to satisfy the basic requirements of the Afghan people, including in the field of human rights, in ensuring stability in the whole territory of Afghanistan and in honoring its international obligations. They took note and supported the priorities of the Transitional Authority: the restoration of the economic infrastructure, ensurance of security, democracy, good governance and prosperity. They also urged all factions in Afghanistan to overcome their past animosities and work together for national unity. The international community will also continue to cooperate closely with the Transitional Authority with a view to ending the growing of and trade in narcotics and eradicating terrorist and extremist networks under the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.

7. The ministers and senior officials expressed deep concern over a number of recent violent incidents in Afghanistan, including the assassination attempt against President Karzai and the explosion of a powerful car bomb in Kabul. They reaffirmed their firm commitment to help to provide a secure environment in Afghanistan, while acknowledging that longer term stability and security will need to be provided by the Afghans themselves. They acknowledged the role of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), established under Security Council Resolution 1386 (2001), in greatly enhancing security in and around Kabul. They, in particular, expressed their appreciation for initially the United Kingdom and now Turkey playing a leading role which has aided the success of the ISAF, and hope for a further international contribution in this field. They underscored the need for a coordinated approach to all security aspects to promote a quick reform and the expedition creation of Afghan security and defense structures, including the demobilization and reintegration of former combatants into society. In this connection they hailed and expressed support for the current efforts of the Afghan government and urged the international community to aid these efforts. They stressed the importance of a national army and police that are ethnically balanced, professional and accountable to legitimate civilian authorities.

8. They reaffirmed that success of international efforts in Afghanistan will ultimately depend on the joint work of the Afghan parties to implement the tasks set in the Bonn Agreement completely. This includes strengthening of the Afghan state from the point of view of respect of legality and human rights, as well as of the special requirements of women and children. The ministers and senior officials welcomed the creation of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Judiciary Commission. They called upon states to support these two important commissions to ensure the rule of law and the strengthening and restructuring of the judicial system.

9. They welcomed the aid pledges which were made at the donors' meeting in Tokyo on January 21-22, 2002, and appealed for a quick disbursement of these funds. They called upon all states to render maximum support to the Transitional Authority to help the reconstruction of Afghanistan. They hailed the Afghan government's own reconstruction initiatives and reaffirmed the need to strengthen the capacity of Afghans to determine their own destiny. They pointed to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and urged all states to provide further aid in response, so as to alleviate the effects of this crisis and to enhance peace and security in Afghanistan. They noted, in particular, the mass return of refugees to Afghanistan and the return of displaced persons to their native places since January, which came as a heavy burden to the resources of Afghanistan, and called for continued provision of aid to ensure their steady reintegration.

10. The participants hailed the positive role of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and, in particular, the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, in performing the United Nations' responsibilities arising from the Bonn Agreement. They gave an assurance that they will continue to support the Afghan people and the Secretary General, who is assisted by his Special Representative, in their efforts to build a stable, peaceful and independent Afghanistan.

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1 Afghanistan, Canada, Chinese People's Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Iran (Islamic Republic), Italy, Japan, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, Uzbekistan and the European Commission.