Non-interference declaration to boost stability

Afghanistan's six neighbouring countries gathered in its capital, Kabul, on Sunday, pledging non-interference and respect for the country's independence and territorial integrity. The issuance of their Kabul Declaration coincides with the first anniversary of the establishment of the Afghan interim government following the ouster of the Taliban. "Today we celebrate the first anniversary of the new Afghanistan, and reaffirm our commitment to peace, cooperation and development in the our region," Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in his inaugural speech. "I am sure Afghanistan will live in a brotherly and peaceful atmosphere with her neighbours from now on," Taj Mohammad Wardak, the Afghan interior minister, told IRIN. In addition to foreign ministers and delegates from Pakistan, Iran, China, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the gathering was attended by representatives from Afghanistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UN, the G-8 nations, the EC and the Organisation of Islamic Conference. The declaration pledging friendship, non-interference, good neighbourly relations and respect for territorial integrity is seen as a major boost to Afghanistan, an as yet fragile nation, still reeling from the effects of over two decades of war. "This conference, which has the support of our people and the international community at large, is yet another step to bring us together, emphasise on the principles of mutual respect and understanding, and prevent any undesirable or counter-productive actions by accelerating and enhancing the process of good neighbourliness," Karzai said. "I hope that we have all learned from our past mistakes and will follow the right course from now on." The Afghan government said that it welcomed this opportunity to build on the new foundation laid a year ago by Afghanistan and its neighbours, and reaffirm its commitment to collective efforts to strengthen peace, stability and prosperity in this still volatile region of the world. "We would like to see the new trend grow in a positive and mutually beneficial manner," a statement by the Afghan foreign ministry declared. Calling the anniversary a day of pride, Abdul Hamid Mobarez, the Afghan deputy information and culture minister, told IRIN that the country was regaining the appropriate and suitable position it had lost to years of war. "Afghanistan is once again recognised as a peace-loving country," he said. Expressing such optimism was not confined to Afghans in attendance, however. The UN special representative in Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, told IRIN at the end of the conference that the declaration would have certain positive effects on the country's rehabilitation and reconstruction. In this respect, he drew attention to one of the paragraphs of the document, which stated: "We welcome the combined efforts of the wider international community to provide the support required for rebuilding Afghanistan as it continues to take its rightful place in the community of nations, and express our commitment to participate in this process." He noted that Afghanistan's neighbours had already been extremely generous towards the nation's rehabilitation and reconstruction, and expressed the hope that such generosity would now be further expanded. Afghanistan's conflict has often been fuelled by outside influences, many of which have their roots outside the country. Soviet occupation of the country in the 1980s and Pakistan's erstwhile support for the Taliban are just two examples. Indeed, the civil war emerged because of the support of neighbouring countries for different warring factions. Now, however, the picture has changed. Raffael Robillard, executive coordinator of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghanistan Relief told IRIN that Sunday's declaration offered a new beginning for the country. "I think the past interventions, which were military to one side or the other, should be replaced by the exchange of trade, information, assistance and friendly relationship support," he said. As a landlocked nation, such relations will prove critical to Afghanistan's rehabilitation and reconstruction process, not to mention the large amount of humanitarian assistance from donors coming through neighbouring countries each day, predominately Pakistan, Iran and the Central Asian states. Stressing the practicality of the declaration, Mobarez said it showed that "we need our neighbours and they need us".