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Spokesman for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan
Thursday, 22 August 2002, 10am, UNAMA
TALKING POINTS
· Meeting of the SRSG with the Afghan Minister of Interior
Yesterday the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi met with the Minister of Interior, Mohammad Khan Wardak. That meeting took place here. They reviewed a number a of issues particularly the reform of the police.
The Minister identified the payment of salaries and lack of equipment as two of their major challenges. He also noted that the level of salaries are low. The Special Representative, Mr. Brahimi confirmed that a special trust fund established to support the police already has enough contributions to pay salaries for the months of August and September. This fund is known as Law and Order Trust Fund and it is managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
On this issue of police reform you might also know that today at 2.30 p.m. is the re-opening of the new police academy.
· Disarmament in the North
The disarmament process, which I told you about on Sunday and which was to have begun on Monday in Gosfandi, Sari-pul, has halted due to the complexity of the situation. Our Political Affairs Officer, from UNAMA Mazar-i-Sharif was on site until this morning. The factions are currently working to find a "mutually acceptable solution"
· Grave Site of Dasht-e-Leily
On Tuesday we issued a statement on the Dasht-e-Leily gravesite. The statement read.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) jointly undertook a preliminary forensic investigation on the site of Dasht-e-Leily, near Shebergan, Northern Afghanistan, in early May. At the time, UNAMA made public that the investigation confirmed the existence of a large grave area of recent origin and that three bodies were exhumed for autopsy: the absence of blunt force trauma, sharp force injury or firearm injury led the team to conclude that the cause of death was consistent with death due to suffocation.
While such findings called for a full fledged investigation, UNAMA and OHCHR jointly endorsed the recommendation of the forensic team that any further activity on the site be initiated only after an effective witness protection scheme has been put in place.
With regard to violations and abuses of the past, the recently created Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission envisages organizing a nationwide consultative process to prepare a decision on a transitional justice strategy. Different strategies were adopted in other countries: truth commissions, tribunals or a combination of the two.
The Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission recommended that adequate measures be taken by the authorities for the protection of the site. In the meantime, UNAMA's regional office in Mazar-e-Sharif received instructions to periodically visit the site in order to make sure that it has not been altered by deliberate human activity.
Afghan Transitional Authorities have committed themselves to enhance the respect for human rights and justice, fight impunity and promote national reconciliation. UNAMA will continue to work with all Afghans in the pursuit of these objectives.
· Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan
At a presentation to donors last Tuesday, the newly formed Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) stated that its key programmes for the next two years will include the advancement of the human rights of women; a national programme of human rights education; and a national process of consultation on transitional justice.
As the Commission with the support of the United Nations system emphasized the importance of international support for its first year budget requirement of $4.3 million, its Chair, Seema Samar spelled out the two-year programme of work and mandate of the institution for potential donors. According to the programme of work it is expected that at the end of the project there will be enhanced national capacity to promote and protect human rights; greater understanding and awareness of the role and mandate of the Commission; and a national process of reflection on addressing the abuses of the past.
During the presentation donors had many questions which is a normal process in these kinds of situations. Many of them go back to their capital cities before confirming any pledges, however, a couple already indicated pledges.
Another meeting of donors is scheduled to take place next week, 27 August in Geneva as part of the regular meetings held by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. At that time they will present the programme of work of the Afghan Commission.
· New Japanese Social Envoy
Yesterday, Mr. Brahimi met with Ambassador Mutsuyoshi Nishimura, the Japanese Ambassador for Afghan Air Coordination. He arrived yesterday and he came to UNAMA for his visit and they discussed all the issues pertaining to the Afghan transition process.
On Tuesday, 27 August Mr. Nishimura will be holding a press conference here in Kabul. There is a press release available with the details of the time and the place of the press conference.
· UNHCR Update on Returnees - Maki Shinohara
Visit of the High Commissioner for Refugees
High Commissioner Mr. Ruud Lubbers is arriving in Kabul this Saturday
for a five-day visit to Afghanistan. He will be available for a press
conference on Wednesday morning before his departure. Media advisory
note is available in this room.
Aside from meeting with the new government officials in Kabul, the High Commissioner will take a field trip to Kandahar to see the conditions of internally displaced people in Spin Boldak and Chaman as well as those relocated in Zhare Dasht.
UNHCR has begun last Thursday the voluntary relocation of internally displaced people stuck at the border areas with Pakistan. We have now moved 326 families (nearly 1,500 people) from Chaman in three movements to the new temporary site in Zhare Dasht, west of Kandahar. The relocation is going smoothly, with about 100 families moving per day. Upon arrival, they stay over night in the registration area. They are then registered the following day, receive assistance and sector allocation.
Refugee returns
The number of Afghans repatriating from Iran continues to increase.
In recent weeks the return rate has been over 15,000 per week compared
to 6,500 in July. We've already recorded over 15,600 people returning
this week, with the highest count of 5,700 people crossing the border
on Sunday.
Twice as many people have registered to return in the first half of this month from Sisten-Baluchistan Province. We have reinforced staff to help deal with a backlog of refugees waiting to register. The majority of the people approaching registration centres are documented refugees who are then de?registered before leaving the country, but some 40 percent of the assisted returnees are undocumented Afghans.
In addition to the 156,000 Afghans returning from Iran since the start of UNHCR's return program from Iran in April, some 41,000 Afghans have left Iran on their own, according to the Iranian authorities.
Meanwhile, the rate of returns from neighbouring Pakistan continues to go down this month. On average, some 3,000 people are crossing the border daily.
Questions and Answers
Q: With the mass gravesites in the north, how many different
sites are there and can you tell the number of dead?
Spokesman: I don't know the total number of bodies because no full investigation
has taken place. There are two sites in the north. One is near the Mazar
airport, the other one is this one in Shebergan. The two sites that
had been subject of this preliminary investigation back in May. They
also did a third site not in the north but in Bamyan. All of these preliminary
investigations took place at the same time in May and we reported on
them at that time.
Q: The Physicians for Human Rights back in May that there
was a need to seal off this site in Shebergan. You say that staff members
are regularly visiting the site but it sounds as if you haven't sealed
it off or have you?
Spokesman: That would be the ideal. We also think that the site should
be protected. The conditions for that have not been possible. As you
may have noted in our statement of two days ago the Afghan Human Rights
Commission has approached the authorities recommending that. I don't
think there is any new development to report on. But I don't think there
is any doubt in anyone's mind that the ideal situation is to protect
it. In the meantime as that does not happen, we do have people to periodically
visit the site.
Q: Well what are the practical difficulties to seal it
off?
Spokesman: Well, you need a police force for instance or you need to
actually fence it or you need agreement from those who are involved
there. It may even involve villages. I am not familiar with that, so
I am just speculating now. But it is not something that you just do
like that.
Q: Can you see a role for the UN, the government said
something about some kind of commitment to the investigation and potentially
finding out some responsibility, some role within the context of those
investigations [inaudible]. Do you see the United Nations having a role
will you be able to be prepared to help prepare [inaudible]?
Spokesman: Definitely. We have not been formally approached by them
on this. But yes, if there is the formal request and the proper mechanisms
in place within the government and then we can do the same on the international
side. But by all means, yes we would be prepared to support and help
ourselves and also others who would have the expertise on it.
Q: Do you happen to know what a basic police salary is?
Spokesman: If I am not mistaken, for the lowest level, it is close to
US$ 30 a month. I know they have a scale which I am not familiar with.
Q: Is this trust fund administered by the UN?
Spokesman: It is managed by the United Nations Development Programme
- this particular trust fund. As you know, the international community,
has a little bit of difficulty for funds from donors to go to police
and/or army. Of course, in the case of Afghanistan that is very much
a need. So, after a number of discussions and reviews with the Afghans,
the international community, donor community, institutions of the international
community, it has been agreed that this fund, the Law and Order Trust
Fund be established with the sole purpose of providing support to the
police here in Afghanistan.
Q: Do you have any idea how many trainees [inaudible]?
Spokesman: I have some information which I just got before I came here
and I could not double check it so you as a good journalist, I would
hope that you would double check it. As you know, we are not running
this programme. My understanding is that the programme which starts
on 24 August, the training programme or the first class will bring together
some 1,500 trainees or students - whatever they are going to be called
- of different grades, different levels within the structure of the
police. Please do check with the Ministry of Interior or with the Germans.
As you know Germany is on the lead in providing training for the police
here in Afghanistan.
Q: Are these police for all over Afghanistan?
Spokesman: The national police, yes definitely.
Q: How much money comes actually come through and how
much money [inaudible]? Question on funds to the Human Rights Commission.
Spokesman: I don't have the answer to that. We will have to look into
it for you.
[The Spokesman later informed that the Commission is operating on a
temporary basis with funds to see it through the next three months.
It is expected, however, that project funds to support the AIHRC's programme
of work will start to come in soon. Several donors have expressed their
willingness to contribute to the Commission and have asked to be informed
about the technical modalities of paying their contributions.]