Mr President,
The resolution in front of us testifies
to the continued concern of the Security Council about the situation in Afghanistan. It
sends an unequivocal message to Taliban and the other parties, as well as to Afghanistan's
neighbours and other States concerned to put an end to the suffering of the Afghan people
and to seek a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.
Sweden remains convinced that military
means will not bring peace to Afghanistan. This should be obvious after so many years of
devastating war. The road to real peace would start by a cease-fire which would be
followed by a political dialogue with the aim of forming a genuinely broad-based,
multi-ethnic and representative government. A political system has to be etablished which
takes into account the legitimate concerns of the ethnic, religious and social groups in
the country.
We call upon Taliban and the other
factions in Afghanistan to follow that road. It is equally imperative that all States in
the region and elsewhere give their full support to such a course of action, and refrain
from fanning the flames of war in Afghanistan. We welcome that the six plus two group of
countries has provided a forum for talks on the Afghan issue and we look forward to their
proposed meeting in Tashkent. With the participation of all major Afghan factions, that
meeting could be the starting point of a genuine peace process. At the same time, we are
somewhat perplexed by the reports that some of those countries continue to supply weapons
and war material that fuel the conflict, instead of promoting their more obvious long term
interests which ought to be a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. The flow of arms into this
conflict-ridden country must cease.
The alternative to a real process towards
peace would in all likelihood be a further aggravation of the situation. There are
worrying signs that the conflict is taking on clear ethnic and religious dimensions.
Serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights continue. And the
use of landmines still takes a very heavy toll on civilians. Winter may bring additional
suffering to the innocent victims of war in Afghanistan.
Moreover, we cannot neglect the risk for
an extended regionalization of the conflict. This dimension further underscores the
responsibility of the Security Council with respect to the situation in Afghanistan.
Mr President,
Sweden has a long-standing involvement in
Afghanistan as a main donor of humanitarian assistance. We remain gravely concerned about
the humanitarian situation in the country, and continue to demand that all parties comply
with their obligations under international humanitarian law. All violations of human
rights must cease, including the systematic discrimination against women and girls
practiced in particular by the Taliban. Other fundamental international norms must also be
complied with, including those on combatting terrorism and illegal drugs. All Afghan
factions must close down training camps for terrorists inside Afghanistan and participate
in the international struggle against terrorism. Due to war and conflict, the economy of
Afghanistan is to a large extent dependent on illegal activities. The illegal drug
business is the cause of human suffering far beyond the borders of Afghanistan.
The case of Afghanistan illustrates that
in today's world no country can separate itself from the international community. Events
in Afghanistan do not only have immediate major humanitarian consequences but also serious
international repercussions.
Sweden strongly supports the continued
active role of the Secretary-General, his Special Representative and of UNSMA to
facilitate peace and national reconciliation in Afghanistan. We support the proposal of
the Secretary-General for a new civil affairs unit in UNSMA tasked with promoting respect
for minimum humanitarian standards. We also welcome the proposal for an investigation into
reports of extremely serious violations of international humanitarian law in 1997 and
1998, including in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Thank you, Mr President
Permanent
Mission of Sweden to the United Nations