General Assembly Security Council

 

Statement by Ambassador Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations at the United Nations Security Council Debate on UNAMA held on 18 September 2014

 

Madam President,

 

1.   Let me begin by thanking you for organizing today's debate on the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). We thank the SRSG Jan Kubis and Ambassador Zahir Tanin for their briefings. We also thank the Secretary General for his quarterly report on the situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security.

 

Madam President,

 

2.  Afghanistan is at a historic cross road - poised as it is for its first ever democratic transition of power.  We must acknowledge the leadership and statesmanship that has been shown by President Karzai and the Afghan leadership over the last 13 years that has brought Afghanistan to this historic juncture. 

 

3.  I cannot hide the fact that we are concerned at the present political impasse in Afghanistan surrounding the election results.  We must not forget that the Afghan electorate braved threats from terrorist and extremist elements, to turn out in large numbers during the first and second rounds of voting.  There is no better testimony of the strong popular support that exists in Afghanistan for Democracy and for preserving the valuable gains of the last 13 years.  We are confident that the two leading candidates will respect this noble sentiment and the wish of the Afghan people for a peaceful stable and democratic country.

 

Madam President,

 

4.  The political transition which will be completed with the inauguration of the new President will be an important milestone in Afghan history. It will not only mark the culmination of a process which is 'Afghan led, Afghan owned and Afghan controlled' but also a process that carried hopes and the best wishes of the entire international community.

 

5.  Recently our Hon'ble External Affairs Minister  visited Kabul on 10 September, 2014. Her words in Kabul during the inauguration of the Flag monument describe our relationship in a holistic manner. I quote ‘India will always be Afghanistan's first strategic partner. We are committed to assisting Afghanistan in whatever manner is possible within our means‘ Unquote.

 

Madam President,

 

6.    I would like to reiterate that we do not have the luxury of an exit strategy in Kabul. We are undeterred by the cowardly attack of May 23, against the Indian Consulate in Herat. That attack reflected the deep designs of the forces of terrorism which want to eliminate every institution which believes in the promotion of peace and stability in Afghanistan. We would stand with the Afghan people assisting them in the path of growth and prosperity.

 

7.   The security situation in Afghanistan remains fragile. The Secretary General's latest report mentions details of this. The report mentions that the security incidents in the south, southeast and east accounted for 65.3 per cent of total incidents. Therefore, these areas must be accorded greater resources and attention to ensure better security situation in days to come. The international community must render its full support to Afghanistan to defeat the forces of terrorism which do not want peace in Afghanistan.

 

Madam President,

8.   On the reconciliation process, we would like to reiterate that process must remain 'Afghan led, Afghan owned and 'Afghan controlled' while respecting the agreed red lines. We would never endorse treating the Government of Afghanistan on par with elements of the erstwhile Taliban regime.

 Madam President,

9.  The Secretary General's report further mentions that Afghanistan's economic situation today is of grave concern. In addition, the report also mentions that tackling Afghanistan's growing funding gap and ensuring that recurrent budgetary costs can be met will also be an immediate challenge for the new administration. It is reported that the prolonged electoral period which saw senior government positions vacated, months of campaigning, and the severe uncertainty of the post-election impasse, contributed to a precipitous drop in growth, declining in investor confidence, and poor revenue performance. India stands ready to assist Afghanistan in their path of economic recovery. We must not allow our attention to get diverted from the equally important issue of economic development in Afghanistan.

10.   Regarding the role of UNAMA, we believe that the UNAMA has an important role to play in supporting the activities of new political institutions of the Afghan State.  No other organisation can represent, in full measure the international community's concern for Afghanistan, and its vision for a peaceful, sovereign, independent and prosperous Afghanistan.  But the UNAMA must also focus on the important role it plays in ensuring delivery of valuable humanitarian and development assistance to Afghanistan - the Mission is uniquely placed to deploy the required professional and physical resources to reach much needed humanitarian and development assistance to the remotest corners of Afghanistan.

 
Madam President,

 

11.   India's commitment to assisting the people and Government of Afghanistan in consolidating the impressive gains of the last 13 years of political reconstruction remains unwavering. India shares civilization links with Afghanistan and we would stand by our Afghan brethren as they build a peaceful, pluralistic, democratic and prosperous Afghanistan.

 

12.  In conclusion, Madam President, we would like express our full support to the political, social and economic transition that is taking place. We sincerely hope that political impasse is over without any further delay and the acceptance of result by the leaders would provide a solid foundation on which a new chapter of Afghan history would be written. India would like to reiterate its unwavering commitment to the people and government of Afghanistan during this critical juncture.

 

I thank you.

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