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New York: The UAE has voiced its deep concern over the continuing threat of violence in Afghanistan which it says is hindering development and political efforts and threatening the lives of civilians, aid workers and diplomats.
"The UAE, which has stood by the Afghan people since the beginning of this crisis and made generous contributions towards its emergency humanitarian relief programmes and economic recovery and rehabilitation, is deeply concerned at the increasing threat of violence which continues to impede the political and development efforts made in this country and which has prevented the population in more than 36 provinces from having access to humanitarian supplies," Ahmad Al Jarman, Permanent Representative of the UAE, said Wednesday in a statement at the meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan.
The threat of violence, Al Jarman added, has also had a direct impact on the lives of civilians, UN personnel, humanitarian workers, the international assistance force personnel and members of diplomatic missions. A member of the UAE Diplomatic Mission in Kabul was critically injured last January in an armed attack.
Volatile environment
"The political transition process in Afghanistan continues to face serious challenges due to the unsafe and volatile environment, the slow implementation of national reform programmes and initiatives, the notorious lack of resources and the poor infrastructure of the country," he said.
This, he indicated, has taken place in spite of the positive progress made in Afghanistan over the past six years since the conclusion of the Bonn peace agreement, particularly in the areas of advancing economic recovery, developing infrastructure, reforming the judiciary system and improving a number of educational, health and local government services.
He welcomed the appointment of the Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Algeria, Lakhdar Brahimi, as Head of the Independent Panel on the Safety and Security of UN Personnel and its offices around the world.
However, he affirmed the importance for all parties to honour their obligations in maintaining the safety of international workers and members of diplomatic missions in accordance with various conventions. In this context the UAE called for the re-evaluation of national security structures and the country's judicial system.
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