Afghanistan, 2009

First, I would like to

congratulate His Excellency Mr. Treki on his election

as President of the General Assembly at its sixty-fourth

session. Afghanistan looks forward to working with

him over the next year and to strengthening

international responses to the crises that we are facing

today.

Since its inception the United Nations has been

instrumental in addressing the world’s challenges,

particularly in the global South. But significant

challenges remain unresolved. The growing gap

between and within nations in terms of opportunity and

prosperity reminds us that we are still far from meeting

the ideals and objectives of the Charter of the United

Nations for creating a just and secure world.

Strengthening and restructuring United Nations

agencies remain pivotal in closing the gap between the

objectives of the Charter and the realities of the world.

The United Nations is not a forum for lip service. It

must embody the ideals of the Charter by providing

political and moral direction and leadership. In our

increasingly interdependent world and the

multilaterally oriented international system, the United

Nations must assume greater responsibility for finding

collective solutions to our challenges.

The world, and in particular developing nations, is

faced with the threat of poverty, underdevelopment,

environmental degradation, extremism, fundamentalism,

terrorism, culturally based racism, the spread of weapons

of mass destruction and the arms race. Rather than just

managing and reacting to problems, the United Nations

must find ways to address the structural causes of the

world’s problems and conflicts. To this end, closer

cooperation between the United Nations, the

International Criminal Court, international financial

organizations and global civil society is vital in moving

towards more just and friendly relations among nations.

Our efforts to address new challenges must be

followed up by redoubling our commitment to resolve

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remaining historical conflicts, chief among which is

the conflict in the Middle East. Afghanistan reiterates

its call for the full implementation of United Nations

resolutions and regional initiatives for bringing an end

to the suffering of the Palestinian nation and creating a

safe region for all Middle Eastern nations.

On the eve of the fortieth anniversary of the

establishment of the Organization of the Islamic

Conference, the Islamic world faces a number of

important internal and external questions and issues.

Addressing those issues and reviving the prominent

role of Muslims in contributing to the progress of

humanity and civilization can be achieved only if we,

members of the Islamic world, collectively confront

the current intellectual stagnation that many of us

suffer from. As was the case during the golden era of

Islamic history, intellectual freedom and creativity

must be elevated to our highest social and political

priorities. The Islamic world is in urgent need of an

intellectual renaissance. Islamophobia and associating

Muslims with a violent minority are additional issues

that call all of us, particularly Western nations, to seek

effective ways to confront them.

Let me now turn to the situation of my country,

Afghanistan. Unfortunately, negative coverage of the

situation by international media has overshadowed the

many positive trends and developments since the

collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001. Alongside our

challenges, a new Afghanistan is emerging. That

Afghanistan includes an emerging democracy,

ascendant State institutions, a nascent civil society, a

growing private sector and strong international

solidarity.

I can refer to many examples of how that new

Afghanistan is advancing. In the fields of education,

health, infrastructure, media and economic growth, the

generous support and sacrifices of the international

community have been vital in our joint and proud

achievements in Afghanistan, for which we Afghans

remain grateful.

The Afghanistan presidential and provincial

elections in August demonstrated the many positive

changes. It was the first time in the modern history of

Afghanistan that Afghan institutions were tasked with

organizing and holding a nationwide election. Taking

into account the socio-historic realities of Afghanistan,

we passed that national test successfully. In addition to

it being our first experience, we were faced with

dangerous enemies who did their utmost to disrupt and

derail the process by terrorizing Afghan voters. By

braving Al-Qaida, the Taliban and other terrorist

groups, Afghan voters demonstrated their determination

and desire to have a modern, moderate and democratic

political system.

As in any emerging democracy, undoubtedly

there were irregularities. But one should not assess a

young, terrorist-inflicted democracy with the criteria

used for old, stable and prosperous democracies. In

passing judgement we should be conscious of the

context, the process and the full picture, rather than of

only one aspect or issue.

In due course, the Independent Election

Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission

will announce and certify the final results of the

elections. For the sake of the stability and

consolidation of our young democratic institutions and

processes, it is imperative that all of us respect and

support their decision. Continuing efforts to

delegitimize and undermine the integrity of the process

and our institutions will certainly result in worsening

the situation not only for Afghanistan but also for the

international community.

Afghanistan still faces significant challenges.

Chief among them is terrorism, which enjoys safe

havens and institutional support beyond our borders.

As long as terrorist infrastructure, including the

Taliban leadership, and sanctuaries remain protected,

Afghanistan, the region and the world will be at the

mercy of terrorists and their totalitarian ideology and

objectives. Only by pursuing a comprehensive strategy

with adequate resources, effective implementation and,

more importantly, strategic patience, can we address

our interconnected challenges. The main pillars of such

a comprehensive strategy are security, good

governance, economic development, regional

cooperation and international solidarity.

Afghanistan fully endorses President Obama’s

new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and the new

assessment by General McChrystal, in particular their

emphasis on the need for a comprehensive and

long-term strategy. The forthcoming international

conference on Afghanistan will be an opportunity for

us to review and reiterate our mutual commitment and

determination to address Afghanistan’s remaining

challenges. We must renew the sense of partnership

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and cooperation between Afghanistan and the

international community.

The principles of good governance, mutual

accountability and regional cooperation are of the

highest priority. There must be a zero tolerance for any

drug-related activity or corruption by the Afghan

Government or our international partners.

What the Afghan nation expects and deserves

from a renewed partnership with the international

community is assurance of a long-term commitment

and solidarity. Afghans are rightly fearful of being

abandoned once again to lawlessness, extremism and

external interference. Abandoning the Afghan nation

will undermine the spirit of collective cooperation and

the ideals of the United Nations and will weaken the

moral credibility of those who fail to honour their

promises and commitments to Afghanistan for many

generations. Furthermore, it will embolden extremists

in the region and beyond.

I have full confidence that with the full support

and commitment of the family of nations, Afghanistan

will be able to overcome the legacy of decades of

violence and suffering. We will restore our historic

position as a model of cooperation between different

cultures and as a regional crossroads and hub for trade,

transit, transportation and tourism on the Asian

continent.