UNAMA role being reviewed

KABUL, officials said on Tuesday.

Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmay Rassoul thanked the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for its valuable services toward strengthening the government in Kabul.

Addressing a joint news conference with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous and new envoy Horst Hitmann, Rassoul said the UNAMA had worked effectively in the area of governance over the past decade.

The Afghan government has called for a review of the mission at a time when foreign troops are poised to pull out of the country.

Foreign Ministry officials say the review is aimed at protecting Afghanistan’s sovereignty and preserving the achievements made over the last 10 years.

In September, the UN Security Council had accepted Kabul’s demand for amending UNAMA’s role. The amendments included limiting the role of the mission’s sub-branches and a stop to its interference in the electoral process and other affairs, Afghan officials say.

Although there has been a lot of progress in various sectors over the last 10 years, the need for international assistance remained, the foreign minister said.

Ladsous said the review was important because the second phase of security transition would start in a week.  The UN wanted to help the Afghan government and people reach their goals, he added.

UNAMA respected Afghanistan’s sovereignty and would continue to support the country, he said, promising an evaluation of all departments of the mission and seeking opinion on their improvement.

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