UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta told the UN Security Council Wednesday that a key factor behind the worsening security in his country was "the de facto truce" in neighboring Pakistan's tribal areas.
"One of the main factors contributing to the deterioration of the security situation in the country is the de facto truce in the tribal areas beyond the border," he said during a council debate on violence-wracked Afghanistan.
He was referring to ongoing peace talks between Pakistani authorities and top Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud, who was blamed by the previous government and US officials for the December assassination of former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto.
Tuesday Afghan officials accused Pakistan of being behind a suicide blast at the Indian embassy in Kabul that left 41 people dead, saying the attack had the hallmarks of its intelligence agency.
"Terrorist sanctuaries and an elaborate system of financing, recruiting, arming and systematic training of suicide bombers are at work outside our borders, to keep the terrorist threat alive," Spanta said.
Warning that terrorism "could not be defeated unless its root causes were addressed," he said success would be achieved "only by a coherent, integrated, regional and global approach."
Indian ambassador to the UN Nirupam Sen said that despite Monday's attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul, New Delhi would not waver in its commitment to helping Afghanistan secure stability and development.
"We cannot afford to slacken our resolve or our efforts in combating the forces of terrorism, extremism and crime, wherever and in whatever forms these groups may take," he told the council.
And he underscored the need for a collective effort.
"We cannot succeed if we send mixed signals through bargains for temporary and local peace, while the rest of us contend with the consequences of such deals," he added in an apparent dig at Islamabad.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Makkhdoom Qureshi again condemned Monday's "terrorist attack" on the Indian embassy in Kabul and stressed that peace and stability in Afghanistan "are in Pakistan's vital interest."
"We face a common threat of extremism and terrorism," he told the 15-member council, recalling that Islamabad had taken several measures to prevent cross-border infiltration by terrorists and insurgents.
The Taliban, driven from power in Afghanistan by a US-led invasion in 2001, are active on the border tribal zone, where the Pakistani army has fought the Islamists since 2003.
The new government in Islamabad launched talks with local Taliban soon after winning elections in February, amid concern that Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's military approach was spawning more violence.
Meanwhile the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Kai Eide, stressed the need for a "strong presence of international forces for the foreseeable future."
He told the council that the UN mission he leads was engaged in talks with NATO's 40-nation International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to enhance civil-military cooperation. ISAF numbers about 53,000 soldiers.
Eide also said the UN had underestimated the humanitarian challenge in Afghanistan and noted that the Kabul government and the world body on Wednesday jointly launched a 404-million-dollar appeal to help feed 4.5 million vulnerable Afghans.
US Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad for his part said the world must support "not only increased security efforts, but also a broad, coordinated and comprehensive approach that includes infrastructure improvement, foreign investment and economic incentives."
And he urged donors to honor commitments they made at the Paris conference last month.
The donors pledged 20 billion dollars to rebuild Afghanistan but also urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to do more to fight corruption and strengthen the rule of law.
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