Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 68: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on whether the Government of Afghanistan is in a position to assure safety and security to its citizens; if there are areas of the territory which remain outside of its protective control; if there are groups of persons in respect of whom it is unable to provide such security; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39290/05]

Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39179/05]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 211: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which the situation in Afghanistan has stabilised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39608/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 83 and 211 together.

The security situation in Afghanistan remains a cause of serious concern and several further incidents of violence have occurred since I last reported to the Dáil on 10 November. Taliban militants and criminal groups are still active in parts of the southern and eastern regions, where the security situation remains particularly volatile.

The UN mandated international security assistance force, ISAF, in which seven members of the Irish Defence Forces have been participating, has been working to improve the capabilities of the Afghan police and armed forces. Some 40,000 of the projected 65,000 member police force have been recruited and training programmes are ongoing. ISAF, which operates in Kabul and northern and western Afghanistan, carries out one third of its patrols in the Kabul area jointly with the Kabul city police. Provincial reconstruction teams, PRTs, have been deployed and work closely with local civil and military structures to help ensure a secure environment and develop regional capabilities. An expansion of ISAF operations to southern Afghanistan, involving the deployment of 6,000 troops, has been agreed in recent days. With this expansion, ISAF will be operating in three-quarters of the territory of Afghanistan.

The results of the parliamentary elections held on 18 September have now been certified for all provinces and the parliament is due to elect the chair of the Wolesi Jirga — lower house of parliament — shortly. The EU has welcomed the successful holding of the elections and noted that the Afghan people have shown once again their clear support for a democratic future. The statement added that the turnout and generally peaceful nature of the elections were a testament to the determination of the Afghan people to see their country succeed.

Inaugural meetings of the provincial councils have been successfully held and representatives to the Meshrano Jirga — upper house of parliament — have been elected by the councils. President Karzai will nominate the remaining one third of the representatives to the Meshrano Jirga. In electing a parliament, Afghanistan has taken a considerable step towards democracy and stability. Clearly there are still challenges facing the Afghan Government and support from the international community will be needed for some time to come.

The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, at its meeting on Monday last, 12 December, welcomed the EU-Afghanistan joint declaration signed in Strasbourg on 16 November in the presence of Afghan President Karzai. The Council stressed its determination to strengthen the partnership with Afghanistan and its commitment to long-term support for the government and the people of Afghanistan. The joint declaration will form the basis for increased co-operation based on Afghan ownership across a range of areas, including support to political and economic governance, security sector and justice sector reform, counter narcotics, development, human rights, civil society, refugee return, and education and culture.

The joint declaration acknowledges the EU's full support for Afghanistan's sovereignty and agrees that EU member states will continue their substantial support to improve security, extend stability and encourage development across Afghanistan until such time as the Afghan security and armed forces are sufficiently constituted and operational. The European Union and its member states have contributed significant financial support to the stabilisation process in Afghanistan, pledging over €3 billion in aid from 2002-2006 and making a significant contribution to Afghanistan's security and development.

Ireland welcomes the excellent work being done in Afghanistan by the office of EU Special Representative Vendrell. In this regard, we have decided to finance the cost of the EUSR's deputy, Mr. Michael Semple, an Irish national, to maintain the position for a 12 further months. A sum of €50,000, representing the first tranche of our contribution, has been paid in recent days.