• Thank you, Mr. President, for allowing the Netherlands to take the floor. We associate ourselves with the statement by Germany on behalf of the EU. We have requested to add a few remarks in view of our very concrete commitment to peace, security and sustainable development in Afghanistan. We are both a substantial contributor in terms of 2000 personnel on the ground through ISAF and in terms of our financial contribution of more than 70 million Euro annually on development cooperation, mainly through UN and World Bank channels.

• 2007 should be the year of improved governance in Afghanistan. It is encouraging to see that the Afghan government is determined to fight corruption and create a better functioning justice system. Governance is the key to improve the government’s credibility.

• Reconciliation and transitional justice are essential for sustainable peace in Afghanistan. Preventing impunity and bringing justice is needed to overcome the legacy of conflict. In that regard amnesty for war crimes, crimes against humanity and other gross human rights violations would in our view not be in conformity with Afghanistan’s obligations under international law. The adequate implementation of the Transitional Justice Action Plan, launched by President Karzai early December 2006, is key.

• ISAF is a UN-mandated mission, with full international legitimacy and the support of the Afghan government and the Afghan people. This might sound like a truism in this Council, but I wish to underscore that ISAF is inclusive. NATO and non-NATO countries alike participate. ISAF is active in many areas of Afghanistan. 31.000 men and women, from 37 countries, are working on a daily basis in 26 Provincial Reconstruction Teams to bring back security and economic perspective to the Afghan people. We would welcome more countries to join this common endeavour, with military and non-military means.

• This is not NATO acting on its own. On the contrary, ISAF is an ‘assistance force’ which is providing stability and security so that international organisations and other civilian development actors can succeed.

• Together with non-NATO partner Australia The Netherlands is deployed in the Southern province of Uruzgan. That region has seen good results in the last 7 months. In Uruzgan there is stability and security within the Afghan Development Zones. These zones are growing steadily. The Netherlands-Australian PRT is covering about 60% of the population of the province. Diplomacy is being conducted by involving key tribal leaders. Defence is being bolstered. And visible development projects are directly reaching 40.000 Uruzgani. Through these joint efforts we are reaching results indeed.

• We welcome the intention of the Secretary-General to open up permanent UN offices in more southern provinces, including, we are sure, in Uruzgan. The UN’s presence is a prerequisite for the implementation of National Development Programmes in the Southern provinces and for more activities by NGO’s.

• The UN, ISAF and the EU are united on the aims of their respective missions: to help the Afghan people build a prosperous democracy. There can be no development without security, and vice-versa. International civil-mililtary stabilisation missions can only succeed if there is better cooperation and mutual understanding between development-, political- and military actors.

 • Finally, a word on counter-narcotics. The Afghan government is determined to make its policies work. We applaud this. But eradication without mitigating measures for poor farmers is counterproductive and will hamper our stabilisation and reconstruction effort. Eradication will be effective only if it is part of wider strategy. We should limit the impact on small and disenfranchised farmers. Therefore we will deploy extra projects in Uruzgan to minimise destabilising effect of eradication. We will also support farmers in developing alternatives. We encourage the Afghan government to disrupt the drug trade and go after the drug lords.