Let us not forget that, for decades, violence in Afghanistan has also been caused and fueled by the clash on its soil of foreign interests, rivalries and ideologies. This is not only a positive development for rebuilding the country: it is also a critical factor for the maintenance and consolidation of peace itself. Indeed, before and after the Emergency Loya Jirga, the Afghan authorities, neighbouring States, donor countries and other interested member States have come together repeatedly in Kabul, New York, Washington, Tokyo, Geneva, Paris, Berlin and many other places to inform each other, discuss needs, design projects, fine-tune cooperation, and reaffirm their sense of joint responsibility for the success of the daunting undertaking that is the reconstruction of Afghanistan. We also see in this event today another symbol, that of the strong compact that has developed between Afghanistan and the international community at large. International assistance and Afghan leadership have come together in these and many other initiatives, reaffirming the promise made in Bonn last year for a better, safer and more just future for Afghanistan.
Many other achievements buttress those stipulated in the Bonn Agreement: 3 million children returned to school - of which more than 1 million are girls 1.7 million refugees returned to their homeland, and reconstruction has begun on the national road system. The main milestones of the process - the establishment of the Interim Administration last December, the holding of the Loya Jirga in June, the establishment of the Transitional Administration also in June, and the formation of various Commissions - were reached mostly on schedule. This force has just been extended for one year, which is another sign of the international community’s long-term commitment to Afghanistan. I refer not only to the very generous assistance pledged to Afghanistan at the Tokyo conference in January, but also to the deployment and support of the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul. I am particularly grateful for the strong support of the international community to Afghanistan. In many areas, the situation is now much clearer, justifying the optimism felt at the signing of the Bonn Agreement. Nor was it clear that the necessary level of support from the international community, and donor nations in particular, would be forthcoming. Whether the institutions called for by the Bonn Agreement would take root was not clear either. Whether the terrorist groups that had operated for so long in Afghanistan, and that had contributed to the tragedy of Afghanistan’s war, would be defeated was not clear one year ago. Whether these hopeful words would be translated into a new reality on the ground was not clear one year ago. The agreement signed by the Afghan parties a year ago today was a hopeful but uncertain beginning –- a commitment to end the war in Afghanistan and embark upon a process that would lead, in the words of that agreement, to the “establishment of a broad-based, gender sensitive, multi-ethnic and fully representative Government”.
This gathering is a symbol of Afghanistan’s achievement. I wish, first of all, to express my most sincere gratitude to the Government and people of Germany, and in particular to Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and to Vice-Chancellor and Minister for Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer, for taking the initiative to convene this important meeting one year after the signing of the Bonn Agreement. It is an honour and a pleasure to be sitting next to them and others in this room who were here last year. Another voice was from (Foreign Minister Abdullah) Abdullah who was also participating (from a distance). The voice was that of His Excellency President Karzai. Last year in this very room we heard a voice that came to us from an audio-recording from the valleys of Afghanistan.
TO SEE TASK THROUGH, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL TO TALKS IN GERMANYįollowing is the statement of Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered by the Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, to the 2002 Bonn talks on Afghanistan in Petersberg, Germany, on 2 December: EVENTS IN AFGHANISTAN PROMPT OPTIMISM, BUT ‘STEADY DETERMINATION’ REQUIRED
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