- Afghanistan will fall apart unless Nato countries urgently
fulfil promises to send troops, the Commons foreign affairs select committee
warned yesterday.
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- With violence rising ahead of an election scheduled for
October, the MPs concluded: "There is a real danger that if these
resources are not provided soon Afghanistan - a fragile state in one of
the most sensitive and volatile regions of the world - could implode, with
terrible consequences."
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- The prediction came 24 hours after MÈdecins sans
FrontiËres announced it is to end its operations in the country after
23 years because of the deterioration in security.
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- The cross-party committee of MPs, in a 174-page report
entitled Foreign Policy Aspects of the War Against Terrorism, also expressed
concern over Iraq and the risk that it too could become a failed state
that will create regional instability.
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- They said: "Iraq has become a 'battleground' for
al-Qaida, with appalling consequences for the Iraqi people."
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- The MPs visited Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan to compile
the report, and met the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, and the Pakistani
president, Pervez Musharraf.
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- The MPs criticised the Nato countries, other than the
US and Britain, who pledged support at their summit in Istanbul in June
but did not match that with the provision of desperately needed troops
for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf). "We conclude
that, welcome though the Istanbul declaration of limited further support
for Afghanistan is, fine communiques and ringing declarations are no substitute
for delivery of the forces and equipment which Afghanistan needs on the
ground," the MPs said. "We agreed with President Karzai that
the need for more resources for Isaf is urgent."
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- They added: "We recommend that the government impresses
upon its Nato allies the need to deliver on their promises to help Afghanistan
before it is too late, both for the credibility of the alliance and, more
importantly, for the people of Afghanistan."
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- The MPs identified the continued power of Afghan warlords
as part of the problem. Sir John Stanley, a member of the committee and
a former Conservative defence minister, said: "Afghanistan is on a
knife-edge."
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- As well as the failure to establish security, the MPs
also noted the failure of the British government, which is the lead country
in the international coalition in trying to eliminate poppy cultivation,
to reduce poppy crops. There have been bumper poppy crops this year.
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- "We conclude that there is little, if any, sign
of the war on drugs being won, and every indication that the situation
is likely to deteriorate, at least in the short term.
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- "We recommend that the government, which is in the
lead on the counter-narcotics strategy in Afghanistan, explain in its response
to this report exactly how it proposes to meet the targets of reducing
opium poppy cultivation by 75% by 2008, and eradicating it completely by
2013."
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- The MPs expressed concern over the extent to which Iraq
has been turned into a battleground.
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- "We conclude that the insufficient number of troops
in Iraq has contributed to the deterioration in security. We further conclude
that the failure of countries other than the US and the UK to send significant
numbers of troops has had serious and regrettable consequences."
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- The MPs called for regulation of the private military
and security organisations that have mushroomed in Iraq.
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- They were critical too over the failure this year of
officials to inform ministers about the Red Cross report on conditions
in Abu Ghraib jail, and called for an up-to-date total of Iraqi prisoners
being held.
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- The Foreign Office said last night it would study the
report and provide a detailed response. In the short term, Lady Symons,
minister of state at the Foreign Office, said it had always been anticipated
that there would be a rise in drug production because the strict measures
imposed by the Taliban had been lifted. She said the coalition was in Afghanistan
for the long haul.
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- Iraq should also be seen in context, Lady Symons said.
Although there had been terrible acts of violence, these were mainly confined
to Baghdad and the Sunni triangle, and many other parts of Iraq had remained
quiet.
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1272224,00.html
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