TRANSCRIPT

Martha Kearney, Presenter:  News today of the deaths of two British servicemen in a roadside explosion in Afghanistan is a reminder, if one were needed, of just how dangerous it is in the south of the country. The death toll from British armed forces is now 93. Civilians too are bearing the brunt of the violence. Deaths have doubled in the last year to 463.   So the new Special Envoy for the United Nations is taking up his post at a difficult time.  Kai Eide, a veteran Norwegian diplomat, wasn’t first choice for the job. Paddy Ashdown had been mooted for the post until the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, expressed his opposition. We’ll be hearing from the new Envoy in a moment but first some assessments of the task he faces.  Jakob Kellenberger, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has just visited the country and is worried that things are getting worse.

Jakob Kellenberger, President, ICRC: The humanitarian situation is in our view very serious, especially in the south. We know from the consignments of medical material we are sending to remote areas where there are people affected by the armed conflict, we know from that that there must be a lot of wounded as a consequence of the armed conflict.  It is a very serious humanitarian situation.  I am not very confident that there will be an early improvement, no.

MK: Jakob Kellenberger of the Red Cross. Charity workers in the country are now far more at risk than they were in the past because of escalating violence. That’s according to a report funded by the European Commission.  Nic Lee is Country Director of the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office and he says the situation is getting worse.

Nic Lee, NGO Safety Office: What we’ve seen this year is an escalation in armed attacks on NGOs, roadside ambushes and attacks on compounds. Comparing the first quarter of this year to the first quarter of last year, we saw a fairly significant escalation in the amount of armed attacks by opposition groups on NGO vehicles and NGO compounds.

MK: Why do you think that’s happening?

NL: There are three main reasons that we tried to put across in the report. I mean the first is just a very obvious one based on the fact that conflict in Afghanistan is generally spreading. We showed a very solid escalation in conflicts throughout all of last year. The trend for the first three months of this year has continued that with an escalation of fighting across a wider geographic area of the country. So we’ve seen a lot of conflict moving to new districts, new provinces. The second reason is because of the changing profile of the conflict with armed opposition groups essentially utilising criminal third parties or proxies to be able to conduct intimidation attacks and influence attacks in areas where they perhaps don’t have a direct presence themselves. And the final one is really that we have some sense this year there’s been something of an erosion of the respect for NGO independence, for NGO neutrality.

MK: The escalation of violence is also taking its toll in a more extreme way on the civilian population?

NL: That’s right, yes. It’s indicative of the general trend and our data indicates there has been practically a doubling of conflict-related casualties in the first quarter of 2008 compared to 2007. Again you can see a lot of that associated with more expansion of conflict.

MK:  Nic Lee talking to me from Kabul.  Kai Eide, the new UN Special Representative to Afghanistan, has just returned from the country. I asked him how troubling the security situation had been?

Kai Eide, UN Special Envoy to Afghanistan: Of course it’s a very challenging security situation, particularly in the four provinces in the south.  I think we are making some progress. It is going to take time but in my view we are making progress on the security side and we see that also by the fact that from the Taliban they have shifted tactics which reflects also that they are on the defensive I believe.

MK: We’ve been talking to someone who compiled a report on behalf of NGOs in Afghanistan and it’s their firm view that the violence is escalating.  Was that your impression?

KE: My view is that not the insurgency, violence is escalating. I think there is an overall increase in security incidents. Some of that certainly reflects an increase on the number of incidents by the insurgency but also much of this is related to crime in many parts of the country. But it is quite clear that the security situation is challenging a little bit, no doubt about that.

MK: So what can be done to try and bring greater peace and stability to Afghanistan?

KE:  I think we have to devote more time and effort on the two other main dimensions of this. One is the development dimension and you have mentioned a report by NGOs. They have quite correctly pointed out that money is not spent in the way they should be spent.  Too much is left in the donor countries. Too much is spent completely outside the plans and priorities of the Afghan government. Often the Afghan government does not know what is happening. That has to be corrected and we really have to make a serious effort there.

MK: Isn’t there a problem too with corruption?

KE: Of course there’s a problem with corruption and that is also admitted from the highest level of government. I believe that an effort is underway. There is a special officer put in place under the President with a mandate of trying to bring in place more competent governance, more competent police chiefs around the country. So progress is being made here but it is slow.

MK:  These issues are both very much tied up with political progress. Do you think that Hamid Karzai has done enough to create a government which reflects properly all the different tribes in Afghanistan?

KE: I think he is a strong leader. He’s a good leader. He has a vision for the country. There’s no doubt about that.  Let us remember also that this is such a complex country from a tribal point of view, as you mention. It’s also a country without a government bureaucracy. It has to be built up and that is going to take time and this is certainly one of the areas that we have to devote time and attention to.

MK: Do you think that he should be prepared to talk to the Taliban without the kind of conditions that have been so far laid down?

KE: Let me say any kind of reconciliation process – and there’s much talk about it now also from the President – it has to be Afghan-led. Any reconciliation process cannot be imposed or led from abroad.  It has to be led by his government and himself. 

MK: But what’s your view?  I mean is reconciliation possible without at least some elements of the Taliban being part of the process?

KE: I think a reconciliation process has to be initiated and it has to be inclusive. It has to include all those who are ready to accept a constitution and accept a promise that has been made over the last few years.  On that basis yes, I do believe that the reconciliation process should be under….should be undertaken, led by the Afghan government and supported by the international community.

MK: Now you weren’t the first choice for UN Envoy by all accounts. Paddy Ashdown’s name was very much in the frame until Hamid Karzai signalled that he didn’t want him for the job. Are you worried that you’re going to face a similar kind of veto from the Afghan government when it comes to carrying out your work?

KE: I think I am fortunate in coming into this in a completely different way from what Paddy Ashdown did.  I come in with a complete and full confidence of the Afghan government. That has been expressed repeatedly in the meetings I had with the President and also I felt after the Bucharest Summit with strong confidence support from the entire international community. That to me is important.  It’s an important tool and a tool that I’ll certainly use.

MK: Kai Eide.

Ends