NATO's new Afghan mission should strictly adhere to UNSC mandate - Russian envoy
BRUSSELS. Aug 28 (Interfax) - Russia has reiterated the importance of a legal framework for NATO's further presence in Afghanistan as part of its new mission and has asked the alliance to explain the strategic tasks it is going to tackle in that country, Moscow's Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko has said.
"Two aspects are important for us. First, it is necessary to maintain a reliable legal framework for alliance forces' further presence in Afghanistan. The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission has been implemented under a mandate issued by the UN Security Council (UNSC), including its Resolution 1386. Adopting a resolution for NATO's new combat and training mission will provide a reliable groundwork for the entire international community to consolidate its efforts in the cause of extending assistance to Afghanistan," he told Interfax in Brussels ahead of a NATO summit, due to be held in Wales on September 4-5.
"Furthermore, I would like to remind everyone that in all agreements on transit to Afghanistan that were signed between us [Russia] and Italy, the U.S., France, Germany, Spain and other countries, Resolution 1386 acts as a condition for applying simplified procedures to deliveries of military cargo to Afghanistan and back," the diplomat said.
"The second aspect concerns our understanding of the strategic tasks that NATO plans to tackle in Afghanistan. We do not question the task of continuing to support Afghan security services. But we will have questions if measures of such a new NATO mission go beyond the framework of the mandate agreed with the Afghan authorities, or start to pursue other goals," Grushko said.
When commenting on the nearly-completed ISAF mission, which the presidents and prime ministers of NATO member countries plan to discussed at the September 4-5 summit, Grushko reiterated Russia's opinion that the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan is "hasty and motivated apparently by political considerations."
The security situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate as international contingents leave the country, Grushko said. The government is losing control over several provinces, while the Taliban movement is boosting its combat potential (the UN has estimated that the number of Taliban-led attacks increased by 11% in 2013, or by 15%-20%, according to unofficial reports), blockading key roads and disrupting the implementation of infrastructure projects, he said.
In addition to political problems, the economic situation in Afghanistan is also getting worse, and drugs production keeps growing in the country, the Russian diplomat said.
"I would not like to underestimate the ISAF's contribution to stability efforts in the country. Indeed, a great deal has been done in terms of Afghan security services' training. However, the tasks set by NATO itself, primarily the task of restoring stability in the country, have not been accomplished. Since the ISAF has been acting under a resolution of the UNSC, we expect the alliance to submit its report to the UNSC concerning the implementation of this mandate before the end of the year," the Russian diplomat said.
