29 Mar 2024
Wednesday 27 September 2017 - 11:29
Story Code : 277427

Iran supports Afghan gov't efforts to restore peace

IRNA Iran's envoy to the United Nations on Tuesday reiterated Tehran's support for efforts made by Afghanistan Government to restore a 'lasting peace' to the counry.


'We welcome any achievement in the path to Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process leading to lasting and comprehensive peace in the country and the region,' said Iran's Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to UN Eshaq Ale-Habib while addressing the United Nations Security Council meeting on 'The Situation in Afghanistan'.

The full text of his address is as follow:

In the Name of God, the most Compassionate, the most Merciful

Mr. President
I would like to express my appreciations to Ethiopia this debate, the distinguished Foreign Minister of Afghanistan for his statement, as well as Mr. Yamamoto, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), for his briefing and presenting SGs latest Report, as contained in document S/2017/783.

As the Secretary General observed during his first visit to Kabul, Peace and security remain the challenges for establishing stability and ensuing sustained development in Afghanistan. According to the latest SGs report the conflict continued unabated throughout the country, more than 16,290 security-related incidents was recorded during the first eight months of the year, representing a three percent increase against the same period in 2016 and yet another unfortunate highest total ever recorded since 2001.

More than a decade after its invasion, Afghanistan, the Region and the world is not any safer. I need to reiterate, once again that deteriorating security in Afghanistan has its deeper roots and cannot be addressed solely through military buildup as some suggest.
Taliban and self-proclaimed Islamic State Khorasan Province or ISIL-KP continue their heinous attacks against the civilian population, they are reinforcing and recruiting and undertaking complex attacks such as the attack on a Shia mosque in Herat on the first and 25 August that killed over 90 and 28 people respectively or August attack in in Sar-e Pul province during which at least 36 people were killed, as in Herat, the majority of the documented casualties were Shia.

The proliferation of terrorist groups in the Afghan territory necessitates concerted international effort on counter-terrorism. The world needs to deal with this increasing threat in a comprehensive manner. The international community needs to sustain its support for the Afghan National Unity Government and to help the Government in its fight against terrorism and extremism as well as its efforts to address the complex security, political, economic and development challenges it faces.

Our support for the Afghan National Unity Government is unrelenting. We welcome any achievement in the path to Afghan-owned and Afghan-led peace process leading to lasting and comprehensive peace in the country and the region.

Iran is indeed very eager to see a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan as its neighbor, security in Afghanistan directly and indirectly affects security in our borders and the region. It was in this context that Iran welcomed and participated on both Moscow and Kabul peace conferences this year and continue our participation in the meetings of the Heart of Asia as an active member.

Strengthening our regional cooperation with Afghanistan is a priority and a major pathway to consolidate peace and economic development and stability in the region. Trilateral Chahbahar agreement between Iran, India and Afghanistan and Khaf- Herat Railway project are two major transit projects underway. We are confident these projects have the capacity to change the regional economic perspectives of Afghanistan. Such regional infrastructure initiatives can serve as an important way towards development and stability in Afghanistan. We also continue our active role through mechanisms such as the Heart of Asia Istanbul Process (HoA-IP). During the reporting period we re-started negotiations on our bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation Agreement between with Afghan government, which aims to improve cooperation in the areas of security, economy, refugees, culture and education. The first meeting of five technical committees was convened in Tehran to discuss all issues.

On anti-Narcotics efforts we see any increase in narcotics as a reflection of the prevailing insecurity and poverty. Iran is a frontline country in the war against narcotics, we have offered alternative cultivation as well as alternative livelihood plans to dissuade Afghan farmers from opium cultivation. Stronger international cooperation and support and commitment from donors, Afghan authorities and UNODC is essential to deter the menace of narcotics as a social health challenge and more importantly, as a major source of income for recruitment of extremist and terrorist groups. In this regard, we underline the positive impact of a strengthened regional cooperation and joint responses to countering illicit drugs and transnational organized crimes.

Iran continues to host hundreds of Afghan refugees for more than three decades. They have access to mostly subsidized services equally available to Iranians, including basic commodities and public services. This year too, hundred thousand of Afghan children, regardless of their or their parents legal status, were able enrolled in our schools. By the decree issued by the Supreme Leader, issued today: No Afghan Child in Iran, not even illegal immigrants, should be deprived of education and schools must enroll them . We also continue to participate in the work of Tripartite Commission in order to plan for voluntary, safe, dignified and gradual repatriation of Afghan refugees. Success in voluntary repatriation first and foremost depends on providing the reasonable needs of repatriated refugees in Afghanistan, and underscores the need for more international support. Stronger coordinated approach between the Government, donors and the United Nations and an overall strategy for addressing the combined needs of the displaced and returnees are crucial in making the repatriation of Afghan refugees more successful.

Mr. President
We support UNAMA as well as UN agencies in their efforts to provide development and reconstruction assistance to Afghanistan through a genuine commitment by the United Nations to a sustained partnership with Afghanistan. We need to utilize the UNAMA mandate and its good offices for strengthening national institutions and capacities in priority areas as requested by the Government.
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