AFGHANISTAN: Security and the rule of law must be NATO's priority
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30 November 2006 - As the leaders of the NATO member states affirmed their commitment to Afghanistan at the Alliance's critical summit in Riga, humanitarian and development agencies working in Afghanistan issued a statement calling on the NATO's forces to focus their attention and resources on improving security and stability.
The statement issued by aid agencies from across Europe warns that the international military's increasing involvement in aid work diverts their attention from their core and urgent mission of assisting the Government of Afghanistan to enhance security and the rule of law.
According to Thomas Loreaux, Action Against Hunger's Head of Mission in Afghanistan, "Western armed forces have increasingly integrated humanitarian aspects into their military interventions to gain popular support and to counterbalance military operations. Civil-military activities such as the construction of roads, bridges and schools or the distribution of books cannot be considered as humanitarian as they are not in line with the principles of neutrality, impartiality and proportionality characterising humanitarian engagement. The setting-up of quick impact projects has created confusion among the population which has made people question the neutrality and independence of humanitarian organisations such as Action Against Hunger despite constituting the most important principles of our actions."
For the full statement, please visit www.aahuk.org.
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