The peaceful=A0conclusion=A0of the Constitutional
Loya Jirga this week demonstrates the commitment of the Afghan people to
overcome their past and create a better future, humanitarian organisation
CARE International said.
'This is the first time in CARE's memory
- and we first began work here in the 1960's - that such a large and multi-ethnic group of leaders have agreed on a legal foundation for rebuilding Afghanistan,' said Paul Barker, Director of CARE Afghanistan.
Security remains a concern however. Only on Tuesday, the southern city of Kandahar suffered a further fatal bomb attack. In the South and Southeast, insecurity has significantly slowed down or stopped reconstruction efforts and the United Nations has been obliged to rethink its electoral registration processes.=A0
'If insecurity in the South and Southeast is not addressed, these populations are unlikely to benefit from reconstruction efforts or be able to vote freely and fairly in the national elections envisaged by the Constitution,' says Denis Caillaux, Secretary General of CARE International.
The US-led Coalition is expanding its use of Provincial Reconstruction Teams ("PRTs") in Southern and South Eastern areas in an effort address security concerns. However, these 60-100 person teams have neither the resources nor mandate to enforce the rule of law, disarm militia members, make peace between factions or bring drug barons and warlords to justice.
Meanwhile, the Coalition's war on terror twice last month caused the loss of innocent lives. 'Every loss of innocent life increases community sympathy for militant extremists, and makes them increasingly likely to see international forces as occupiers and the current political reality as hostile to their interests,' Barker said.
CARE recommends the following steps for securing a successful future for Afghanistan:
- Coalition forces must do more to limit
civilian casualties.
- An intensive disarmament process must
move forward more urgently.
- The PRT solution should not be oversold
and should focus on the security needs of ordinary Afghans.
- Non-state militias should no longer
receive international support. The military strength of drug lords and
regional militia leaders must be challenged.
- Greater effort must be made to nationalise Afghanistan's security structures.
Further, the Afghan government and United Nations should ensure that national elections envisioned by the Constitution are stabilising influences and guarantee the right of all Afghans to participate freely and fairly in choosing the government of their country.=A0 The international community should not exert pressure to complete those elections for any other reason than the best interests of the Afghan people.
[END]
For additional comments or questions, please contact:
Paul O'Brien, advocacy advisor, CARE Afghanistan +93 (0) 70 285690 pobrien@care.org
Kate Bulbulian, press officer, CARE International UK. Tel: +44 (0) 207 934 9347, bulbulian@ciuk.org