Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 102 together.

It is important to acknowledge the considerable progress that has been made in Afghanistan in recent years. We have witnessed the country's transition to democracy and representative government. A democratic constitution, a representative national parliament and a legitimate elected government are now in place.

The International Conference on Afghanistan held in London on 31 January and 1 February marked a new stage in Afghanistan's development. The Afghanistan Compact, which was launched at the conference, will guide the joint efforts of the Afghan Government and international community in meeting outstanding challenges across three pillars of activity: security; governance, rule of law and human rights, and economic and social development. The compact notes that Afghanistan's transition to peace and stability is not yet assured and that strong international engagement will be required to address remaining challenges. In the spirit of that engagement over €8 billion was pledged to Afghanistan by the international community at the conference.

Ireland donated €17 million to assist reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan at previous pledging conferences in Tokyo in 2002 and Berlin in 2004. I am particularly pleased that an additional pledge of €5 million was made at the launch of the Afghanistan Compact for the period 2006 to 2008.

However, many problems and challenges remain. At the recent London conference, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned that:

recent violence has served as a sad reminder of the fragile state of peace in the country. Afghanistan remains today an insecure environment.

ISAF, a NATO-led force operating under the authorisation of the United Nations Security Council, in which 36 countries are participating, including seven members of our Permanent Defence Force, has been operating in the north and the west of Afghanistan. The arrangement by which a regional body, such as NATO, is authorised by the UN to conduct peace support operations is not unusual, nor is Irish participation in such operations. To date we have participated in two other such operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo.

ISAF is due to expand its operations to southern Afghanistan in the middle of 2006. When it does so, ISAF will be operating in three quarters of the territory of Afghanistan. The expansion will include, subject to national approval, the establishment of four new provincial reconstruction teams, bringing the total to 13. The provincial reconstruction teams work closely with local civil and military structures to help ensure a secure environment and develop regional capabilities.

As I informed the Dáil on 14 December 2005, the security situation in Afghanistan remains a cause of serious concern. On that occasion I said that Taliban militants and criminal groups were still active in parts of the southern and eastern regions, where the security situation remained particularly volatile. The situation is complex and influenced not just by Taliban insurgency but also by a number of other factors, including ethnic and tribal tensions, narcotics and crime. Major challenges remain for the future of Afghanistan, not least on the security front. In this regard, an important part of ISAF's role is to work to improve the capabilities of the Afghan police and armed forces. It is important that the EU and the rest of the international community continue to support the Afghan Government in exercising its sovereignty and protecting the lives and rights of its citizens.

See this speech in context