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.