20/12/2010

Backing a political solution for Afghanistan
Seeking a responsive and responsible Afghan government

By Eva Mitsopoulou, Cypriot Press Adviser

Why a strategy for Afghanistan?

In October 2009, the External Relations Council adopted the EU Action Plan for Pakistan and Afghanistan, which states that the insecurity in Afghanistan cannot be addressed by military means alone. The aim should be the creation of a framework for stability by developing effective state institutions, improving governance, the rule of law and human rights and fighting corruption. All of which requires a responsive and responsible Afghan government.

The EU Action Plan states that the EU commitment must be long term and predictable, supporting Afghanistan in becoming an effective and accountable state that becomes progressively more capable of managing its own security and of delivering services to its people.

In Parliament

A report on the new strategy in Afghanistan is one of the items MEPs debated in their December 2010 plenary session. It addresses certain developments in Afghanistan, as well as some of the actions of the international community, and focuses on four areas where it is believed targeted action could bring about real changes:

• international aid


• the implications of the peace process


• the impact of police training


• the elimination of poppy cultivation.

The report, adopted on Thursday 16 December by the European Parliament, represents the Parliament's proposal for improving the situation in Afghanistan and asks the Council and Commission to take it into account within their own national plans and existing strategies.

The EPP Group's point of view

Ioannis Kasoulides MEP, EPP Group Vice-Chairman and Shadow Rapporteur, succeeded in introducing the Group's pragmatic approach towards Afghanistan in the report, which aims to give clear support to the EU's Action Plan on Afghanistan and Pakistan and the new Allied Counter-Insurgency Strategy geared to protecting the local population and rebuilding areas where security has been ensured. The EPP Group's position backs a more political solution, where negotiations with all sides should take place. It supports the gradual transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces by 2014 and believes that the new Counter-Insurgency Strategy must be given time to yield results, according to the timetable announced by US President Obama.

The report calls on the European Commission to ensure the transparency and accountability of the financial assistance provided to the Afghan Government, international organisations and local NGOs, to ensure the coherence of aid and the success of Afghanistan's development and reconstruction.
It also asks for the increasing involvement of local and regional Afghan governments. Any long-term solution should include concrete measures for the eradication of poverty, under-development and discrimination against women, for enhancing respect for human rights and the rule of law, strengthening reconciliation mechanisms, ensuring an end to opium production, engaging in a robust state-building exercise and fully integrating Afghanistan into the international community - as well as banishing Al Qaeda from the country. The report also pays tribute to the servicemen and women of all the Allied Forces who have lost their lives in defending freedom, as well as to the families of all innocent Afghan victims.