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Mahmoud Saikal: Post-Taliban Afghans still need our support

The Australian

December 22, 2003

Today marks a milestone in Afghanistan's history - the second anniversary of the Afghan Interim Administration which heralded a new government recognised universally by the international community.

The administration was established under the Bonn Agreement of December 5, 2001, following the dramatic fall of the Taliban regime and the disruption of its terrorist associate, al-Qa'ida.

Yet despite the implementation of many of the Bonn Agreement benchmarks, security remains the main concern for many ordinary Afghans.

They continue to feel threatened by the Taliban and its al-Qa'ida allies who have repeatedly named Australia as a target and who have been implicated in the Bali bombings.

This feeling of insecurity, which is compounded by a resurgence in narcotics production and drug trafficking, has been instrumental in causing many desperate Afghans to flee their homeland and end up on Australian shores as asylum-seekers - a development which has enabled people smugglers to conduct a booming business.

In addition, the return of many Afghan refugees and asylum-seekers to Afghanistan relates very much to the security issues as well as sustainable reintegration programs.

In this sense, Afghanistan's security concerns are intertwined with Australia's, requiring close co-operation between the two countries to overcome the problems.

Since September 2001, Australian taxpayers have contributed well more than $80million through various aid programs to humanitarian and reconstruction needs in Afghanistan.

This is unprecedented in the history of relations between the two countries.

Afghanistan has emerged from many years of international isolation and it is eager to expand and strengthen its newly forged relations with all countries including Australia.

The UN Security Council and NATO have both recently approved the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force to operate beyond Kabul in order to enhance stability and security in other parts of Afghanistan. Further, a number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams have become operational in various areas to assist in the process of rebuilding and securing Afghanistan. The UN is looking for countries to contribute to these efforts.

Australia's 2001-02 contribution to the US-led military campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan has been much appreciated. However, there is a great deal more that Australia could do. It could, for example, set up a PRT or provide assistance towards re-establishing Afghanistan's security infrastructure - it could participate in training Afghan security forces. Such involvement in the field of Afghan security could also have the added benefit for Australians of enabling them to gain first-hand experience and information in fighting international terrorism, and countering the narcotics trade and people smuggling.

Australia could also help Afghanistan to secure its 2400km difficult border with Pakistan. Although the Pakistani authorities have captured and handed over a number of al-Qa'ida operatives to the US, there are still forces in Pakistan that recruit, train, arm and shelter terrorists for frequent cross-border operations.

Australia recently took a favourable view of the reforms that Pakistan has implemented to enable it to return to the Commonwealth. Australia could use its standing within the Commonwealth and its influence with Pakistan to prompt Islamabad to do more to stamp out the threat of terrorism from within Pakistan.

There are other areas where Australia and Afghanistan could expand co-operation to address problems of mutual concern. The exchange of intelligence is one of them. For example, in the past few weeks Afghanistan has arrested a leading group of people smugglers. But given the lack of a formal security agreement between Australia and Afghanistan, the latter is not in a position to share its intelligence with the appropriate Australian agencies.

If a formal agreement had existed it could have provided a secure, speedy and settled line of communication through which intelligence could flow between the two sides on matters of mutual concern such as terrorism, drug trafficking and people smuggling.

There is a need for such an agreement and it should be enacted as soon as possible.

It is important for the two sides to consider whether their unique perspectives can forge direct partnership, especially in relation to the security issues.

To do that, Kabul and Canberra need to engage in a more regular and meaningful dialogue to explore their common concerns and areas of shared co-operation. Afghanistan is keen to co-operate with Australia on a number of security issues of mutual interest.

Despite all its difficulties, Afghanistan is determined to move ahead. Most benchmarks of the Bonn Agreement have been met with the establishment of the interim administration that now operates as a transitional government.

As the situation stands, the first democratic election for the formation of a government in the history of Afghanistan is most likely to take place in June 2004, as planned under the Bonn Agreement.

More than this, the Afghans are turning a psychological corner. Recent polls suggest that 83 per cent of the Afghan population feels optimistic about the future of their country. Polls also indicate that the majority of Afghans now feel that Afghanistan is their common home - an encouraging sign for national cohesiveness. The Afghan economy has recently, in places, grown by 30 per cent. Reconstruction has started with a focus on infrastructure development.

Afghanistan has emerged from international isolation with nearly 60 diplomatic and consular missions around the world, and more than 30 countries now have missions in Kabul.

Afghanistan and Australia have many common security concerns. Further endeavour towards expanding ties can only serve the cause of an ever better, deeper, more rewarding and more meaningful relationship between the two countries.

Mahmoud Saikal is the ambassador of Afghanistan to Australia and New Zealand.