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STORY: UN / AFGHANISTAN
TRT: 2.26
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS
DATELINE: 6 JUNE 2011, NEW YORK CITY/ FILE
FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior UN building
6 JUNE 2011, NEW YORK CITY
2. Zoom in, Security Council
3. Zoom in, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) in Afghanistan:
“We know the iconic value of the Intercontinental Hotel, and it was shocking. There’s been attacks inside the city, inside the hospital, military hospital, there’s been even in the Ministry of Defence. There’s been an attack in Kandahar, for two days in Heart at the Italian PRT. But, let’s put it into context. All the attacks were taken care of; perhaps sometimes in a rather confusing way because we are all in the process of training, but, in an effective way by the Afghan military and police.”
5. Med shot, Brazilian delegate
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) in Afghanistan:
“We are hopeful and working on your behalf together with the Afghan authorities to avoid that this institutional crisis prolongs itself. Afghanistan needs checks and balances, needs a parliament, it needs an executive, it needs a judiciary and all of them working together. But at the moment it is a cloud, but since I am an optimist, I am expecting not much rain.”
7. Med shot, US delegate
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Zahir Tanin, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations:
“Last month, President Obama announced the gradual drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan. We welcome the decision, and consider it to be in accordance with the recent emerging consensus between Afghanistan and the international community to move from a primarily military engagement to a more solid and enduring partnership beyond 2014.”
9. Med shot, Chinese delegate
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Susan Rice, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations:
“The necessary outcomes of any negotiation would have to include a commitment by reconciling insurgents to renounce violence, abandon any alliance with Al Qaida, and abide by the Afghan constitution including its protections for women. As evidence of our seriousness, we championed the Council’s decision to split the 1267 sanctions regime and establish distinct sanctions for Al Qaida and the Taliban.”
11. Med shot, de Mistura
12. Wide shot, Security Council
The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council today (6 July) that despite security and institutional challenges, the conditions are favourable for the Kabul Government to start playing a bigger role in its own governance and security.
By mid-July the transition towards Afghan security responsibility will begin in the first seven areas identified by President Hamid Karzai in March. They are the provinces of Kabul, Panjshir and Bamiyan, as well as the municipalities of Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Mehtar Lam and Lashkar Gah.
De Mistura said that a series of recent security incidents, including an attack on the “iconic” Hotel Inter-Continental, were handled “in an effective way by the Afghan military and police.”
At least six insurgents were killed inside the hotel after a four hour standoff on 29 June.
The Special Representative also noted the current legislative crisis, triggered after a special court set up by Karzai ordered that 62 lawmakers elected in the September 2010 election vacate their seats in the lower house of Afghanistan’s Parliament.
He said he was hopeful and working “to avoid that this institutional crisis prolongs itself” and added that Afghanistan “needs checks and balances, needs a parliament, it needs an executive, it needs a judiciary and all of them working together.”
Afghan Ambassador Zahir Tanin, in his address to the Council said that his Government welcomed last month’s announcement by United States President Barack Obama’s on the gradual drawdown of US forces from Afghanistan.
He said that the decision was “in accordance with the recent emerging consensus between Afghanistan and the international community to move from a primarily military engagement to a more solid and enduring partnership beyond 2014.”
US Ambassador Susan Rice said that the US supports efforts to reach out to the Taliban, but pointed out that “the necessary outcomes of any negotiation would have to include a commitment by reconciling insurgents to renounce violence, abandon any alliance with Al Qaida, and abide by the Afghan constitution including its protections for women.”
Last month, the Security Council adopted two resolutions splitting the Al-Qaida and the Taliban sanctions regime, opening the door to peace negotiations with Taliban members.
