Merci beaucoup,

Mesdames et messieurs, merci a tout les organisateurs et les sponsors de ce colloque international intitule “le Canada face au défi afghan” qui va aborder des sujets crucials sur les divers perspectives de la mission en Afghanistan, l’enjeu canadien, le portrait géopolitique, le débat sur le développement et d’autre matières aujourd’hui et demain. Malheureusement je dois rentrer à Ottawa cette après-midi, mais j’espère de suite recevoir vos avis et vos conseils présentes Durant ces deux journées.

My friend Amb. Chris Alexander spoke very eloquently and comprehensively about some of the issues facing Afghans and the international stakeholders. Having spent the last 5 years in Afghanistan his views resonate widely and are to a large extent grounded in Afghan realities.

I promised last night that I would present an Afghan perspective, encapsulating my government’s views, but also the views of Afghans in general, what they think about the drastic changes that have shaped their lives and their environment over the past decades, more importantly since the collapse of the Taliban regime. Afghan views are far from being uniform of course, however, Afghans are more than ever focused on their future, on the domestic, regional and global dimensions of the engagements that are mired in complexity and will shape their existence as a nation and a state.

So we realize that we have much to lose, and also much to gain, depending on how we all perform our part of the task on hand. One thing is certain though, from hereon there is little or no room for miscalculations, misunderstandings, complacency, deceptive posturing and lack of focus. Rebuilding a devastated country on the cheap is also going to lead to failure. Not having the right number of troops on the ground, while we are busy training the Afghan security forces could also have counter-productive outcomes. These are issues that need serious consideration and deliberation.

Afghanistan is a legitimate collective work-in-progress that requires rigorous engagement. The various components of this mission undertaken by many countries form a larger-than-life multilateral commitment that require historic understanding, cultural sensitivity, careful management, visionary leadership, political will, perseverance and well-coordinated efforts to overcome years of institutional decay, regional interferences, fragmentation, and socio-economic stagnation. If we have a problem with corruption and even with the poppy economy, its roots can be found in the country’s recent history highlighted by war, displacement, drought and abject poverty. Prior to the communist takeover, Afghanistan was not a significant opium producer, and contrary to conventional wisdom, the country was relatively peaceful, stable and grounded.

On many occasions in the past few years, on the multilateral front, we have met, talked, strategized, pledged and taken certain actions, from Tokyo to Berlin and more recently in London, when the Afghanistan Compact was signed, to help identify and prioritize with the various facets of the vast rebuilding agenda. But we have also been distracted by the worrisome security environment. From an Afghan perspective, the numerous problems facing Afghanistan can be overcome with international help and our own gradual implementation of a reformist agenda. But as long as the specter of violence in the form of extremism, terror, criminality and the narco-business remains real and unmanageable, we will make little headway, and our constituencies will question our ability to reach a desirable end-game.

To most Afghans, if a set of solutions need to be found or nurtured over time inside Afghanistan to tackle a set of challenges such as weak governance, low management capacity, institutional fragility, rule of law and judicial shortcomings, gender inequalities and so on, there also need to be a concerted effort made to understand and deal with the challenges and threats emanating from outside Afghanistan.

As recently announced by President Hamid Karzai, by no means will we deal or negotiate with anyone who has ties to terrorist organizations or wants to undermine the aspirations of the Afghan people, or the democratic foundations that Afghans have laid down by suggesting that oppression can replace constitutional values once again. We will talk to those who come earnestly without pre-conditions to see what value they add to the system and consult widely about the options available. By no means will we allow foreign terrorist and suicide brigades to re-establish themselves on Afghan soil, as has been recently reported. We are doing our utmost to engage our neighbors in forging mutually beneficial conditions for security and prosperity. It is also important to remember that the right conditions, political and military, need to be in place for any meaningful political dialogue to take place.

In a couple of days, Afghanistan and more than 20 of our key partners, including Canada, will meet on the sidelines of the UNGA in New York, to take a hard look at our achievements since London and to discuss the road ahead. On this occasion, the UN’s yearly mandate is expected to be renewed and the UN role in Afghanistan may also take on new dimensions. 2011 remains an important target date in terms of our work in the security, human and economic development, institution and capacity building, infrastructure and other sectors as spelled out in the Compact.

Key economic challenges for my Government, as well as for the donors, include the need for additional resources for development, funding for the recurrent budget, improvements on aid effectiveness, anti-corruption measures and dealing with job-creation initiatives while we transition to a market-based economy.

The growing drug economy is an obstacle in the long run. Not only are we now clearly seeing the direct relationship between the insurgency, criminal elements and the drug business, but we are also witnessing the north-south divide that seems to be emerging in terms of reduction of poppy cultivation on one hand and an increase on the other. We are convinced that farmers need help and incentives to move towards other means of livelihood or alternative crops. My government is convinced that the answer does not lie in drastic measures, such as aerial spraying and forced eradication, which would exacerbate the situation even further. Paying very close attention to the agriculture sector, to water management issues, to the farmers’ credit access and debt alleviation measures, and even simple solutions such as reforestation, will help us over many years steer the country to a healthier direction.

However, these efforts need to run parallel to our attempts at dealing with governance challenges, and issues such as reforms of the law enforcement and justice sectors. The government’s recent creation of a new mechanism to address provincial and sub-national governance issues including appointments is a step in the right direction. Other measures are being addressed to fight corruption.

I have not spent time discussing some of our achievements or the impact international, including Canadian, assistance has had so far in Afghanistan. But we do need to tell that story as well. We do need to be able to do a comparative analysis of life six years ago versus life today for the average Afghan man, woman and child. We should communicate and show that difference, while we concentrate on what remains to be done.

In my opinion, people in some key donor nations like Canada, are not seeing the whole picture. They are bombarded through the media with either the militaristic aspects of the mission or the overly politicized and domesticated debate that verges on simplifications and polarization. The decision obviously rests with nations and their representatives, however, as an Afghan, I am convinced that we can provide a more balanced and comprehensive view of realities on the ground. And I am also convinced that we can do better in terms of aid delivery and effectiveness, and of raising the capabilities of Afghans to take care of some key factors by themselves as soon as time and resources permit.

In general, I remain optimistic as do most Afghans who believe in this mission. My people also believe that we have reached a sensitive juncture where there is little room left for mistakes. We live in a complex region of the world; no one said that helping a country overcome years of conflict, destruction and suffering was an easy or quick proposition. We are a recovering state that cannot be allowed to regress and become a failed state again, and Canada’s contributions and sacrifices, as part of the large multilateral commitments, continue to make a real positive difference. We are grateful for your continued support for this strategic mission. Merci beaucoup.