RESOLUTION 383 on AFGHANISTAN TOWARDS TRANSITION

Assembly,

1.  Reaffirming the crucial importance of the UN-mandated NATO mission in Afghanistan, and noting that the success of Afghan National Security Forces and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is vital to the security of our nations and the future welfare of the Afghan people;

2.  Stressing the strategic importance of preventing Afghanistan from becoming once again a haven for international terrorism or a destabilizing feature in a strategically vital region;

3.  Commending the performance of our soldiers and citizens in most demanding conditions and honouring those who have lost their lives or have been injured;

4.  Commending further the Afghan forces that are increasingly taking the lead in security operations and withstanding high casualty rates;

5.  Wholeheartedly supporting the successful efforts of NATO forces to reduce civilian casualties, while regretting the accidental deaths of Afghan civilians caused by some Allied operations;

6.  Strongly condemning the insurgency's tactics of deliberately targeting non-combatants and routinely using them as a shield to cover their own activity;

7.   Welcoming the Afghan First Policy that aims at facilitating procurement of local goods and services through simplified bidding and contracting procedures in Afghanistan;
 
8.  Stressing that NATO's role in Afghanistan is ultimately limited to providing a safe and secure environment, and that efforts by other actors in the political and economic sectors will be required if an acceptable, comprehensive and sustainable outcome is to be achieved;

9.  Emphasising the need for the government to be perceived as legitimate and competent by the Afghan people;

10.  Recognising that capable, democratically-controlled and well-equipped Afghan national security forces are essential to fostering a safe and secure environment throughout the country;

11.  Further recognising that NATO must continue to play a central role in training, equipping, and establishing forces which ultimately will be responsible for ensuring Afghan security for the long term;

12.  Understanding that in the long term, there is no simple military solution to Afghanistan's problems, and that an Afghan-led political solution is absolutely essential;

13.  Stressing the key importance of interaction with regional actors for the success of the ISAF mission, especially with the Russian Federation, the contributing Central Asian Republics and Pakistan which provide valuable support in transit;

14.  Emphasising the need for more persistent and effective measures to combat illegal drug production and trafficking as a serious threat to peace and stability and a major financial source for terrorist and insurgent activities;

15.  URGES member governments and parliaments of the North Atlantic Alliance and NATO:

a.  to reaffirm their enduring and lasting commitment to assisting the government of Afghanistan in providing a secure and stable environment for its citizens;
b.  to support Afghan-led reconciliation efforts towards a political solution to the conflict;
c.  to encourage regional stakeholders to play a positive role in the future of Afghanistan;
d.  to carefully co-ordinate redeployment plans in order to avoid endangering the overall mission;
e.  to provide the personnel necessary to speed the professionalisation of the Afghan National Security Forces, in order to more effectively create the conditions for a transition to Afghan leadership at the appropriate time;
f.  to step up support for Afghan capacity-building efforts in the field of governance with a view to enhancing the Afghan government's ability to deliver services to its population, with a particular focus on the priority areas of justice, civil service and public administration, public finances and local governance;
g.  to better co-ordinate international assistance and channel it through Afghan institutions to the extent possible, conditional upon progress in the implementation of necessary reforms;
h.  to support the newly-elected parliament as it takes up its duties;
i.  to regularly and thoroughly review progress in the implementation of mutual commitments;
j.  to continue to enhance the co-ordination of international initiatives and programmes in support of governance;

16.  URGES the Afghan authorities:

a.  to implement the time-bound, specific, results-oriented commitments taken at the London and Kabul Conferences in the key areas of peace and security, governance and development;
b.  to redouble efforts to eradicate corruption;
c.  to improve access to justice;
d.  to continue to strengthen sub-national governance and local institutional capacity;
e.  to review Afghan election procedures and processes, taking into account lessons learned from the presidential and parliamentary elections and recommendations from competent international bodies;
f.  to pursue concrete results in replacing opium poppy crops which are an important source of financing for the insurgency and arms trafficking; and,
g.  to work for the presence of women with equal rights - in accordance with the Afghan Constitution - in all Afghan institutions, including the security forces, in order to foster the democratic development of Afghan society.