Afghan Neighbors Agree To Work Toward Stability
"There can be no long-term security and peace in the region without a stable, secure, prosperous and democratic Afghanistan," they said in a statement released after a one-day conference in Paris.
The envoys "expressed their support for existing initiatives to reinforce cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors (and) committed to the effective implementation of these initiatives."
But, apart from a vague agreement "to work more closely to strengthen border security as a key component of counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism," no concrete measures were announced.
Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta said "We need a global strategy against terrorism."
UN envoy Kai Eide said "We agreed to work together to control borders, and also to build the economic growth this region needs."
The conference got off to a bad start when Manouchehr Mottaki, the foreign minister of Iran, one of Afghanistan's most powerful neighbors, failed to turn up. No official reason was given for the no-show.
But it came a few days after Iran summoned the French ambassador to protest about remarks by President Nicolas Sarkozy condemning Iran's threats against Israel.
The Paris conference was aimed at finding ways to bring Afghanistan out of its seemingly endless state of war, and to urge neighboring states, in particular Pakistan and Iran, to play a more positive role.
Pakistan has been accused of not doing enough to prevent cross-border operations by Taliban insurgents. In recent weeks NATO convoys and their supply depots have been attacked within Pakistan itself.
The conference hosts want to involve more Afghans in work to stabilize the country, where 70,000 foreign troops under NATO and U.S. command are battling the resurgent Taliban and other extremist forces.
Since a U.S.-led coalition helped Afghan opposition troops overthrow the Taliban regime in 2001, the country has fallen back into the guerrilla conflict that so marred its recent history.
Many groups fighting foreign and Afghan troops in the south and east of the country have rear bases in Pakistan, and U.S. officials have accused Iran of shipping arms to some groups.
French officials had played down expectations of rapid progress, noting that little new in the way of policy can be decided until U.S. President-elect Barack Obama takes office on January 20.
Obama has argued that as the U.S. scales back its presence in Iraq, more troops could be moved to the frontline in Afghanistan, but his wider political policy has not yet been revealed.
The envoys held a day of closed-door talks at French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner's official out-of-town residence at La Celle-Saint-Cloud in the western suburbs of Paris.
Despite Iran's decision to stay away, Afghanistan and its other neighbors China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were represented at the gathering.
Representatives of regional power India and UN Security Council heavyweights The U.K., Russia and the U.S. also attended.
As G8 members with troops in Afghanistan, Italy and Germany were also present, as was Eide, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Walder.
The group was to dine on Sunday at the foreign ministry, joined by representatives of Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
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Publié le 14 Décembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones
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