MEETING OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL IN
FOREIGN MINISTERIAL SESSION ON
AFGHANISTAN
26 JANUARY 2007
OPENING STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY
GENERAL
Permettez-moi tout
d’abord de vous souhaiter chaleureusement la bienvenue àcette réunion
extraordinaire sur l’Afghanistan.
Je suis particulièrement heureux d’accueillir aujourd’hui au siège de
l’OTAN les Ministres des affaires étrangères des pays contributeurs non membres
de notre Alliance ainsi que les représentants des autres organisations
internationales, àsavoir Monsieur Javier Solana, Haut Représentant de l’UE,
Madame Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Commissaire européen pour les relations
extérieures, Monsieur Praful Patel, Vice-Président régional de la Banque
mondiale, et Monsieur Tom Koenigs, Haut Représentant du Secrétaire général des
Nations Unies et chef de la MANUA. Je voudrais aussi souhaiter tout spécialement
la bienvenue àMonsieur Spanta, Ministre des affaires étrangères de
l’Afghanistan, ainsi qu’àl’Ambassadeur du Japon et au Représentant de la
République de Corée.
This meeting has been called in the spirit of
close consultation and cooperation that guides our relations with our partners
in NATO missions. It also serves to underline the important relationship between
NATO and the UN, EU and the World Bank who play leading roles in Afghanistan.
Today we should aim to provide a new momentum to our joint efforts in the
country.
This meeting also signals that NATO’s
contribution is one of several elements in a comprehensive commitment to
Afghanistan. NATO’s security
mission remains closely linked to all other efforts currently being undertaken
in Afghanistan, namely from good governance to institution-building, from
fighting narcotics to stepping up reconstruction and development efforts. If we are to be successful, we need to
make progress in all of these areas and we need to do that in a comprehensive
way.
We are all aware of the tremendous progress
that has been made in Afghanistan over the past years. Yet more can and must be done. We must further enhance our collective
efforts to ensure that Afghanistan will continue on a path of development,
security and democracy.
Simultaneously, we must ensure that the necessary civilian and military
resources are provided.
Our discussions here today offer a major
opportunity for us to focus on ways to improve our collective efforts. In my view, implementing a concerted
strategy is the order of the day.