§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many soldiers have left the Afghan army since training by British forces began; and what effects this has had on the proposed date of the completion of the training of the Afghan army; [130777]
1107W(2) when he expects the training of the Afghan army to be complete; and how many recruits have now been trained. [130780]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe US leads international efforts to establish a new Afghan Nation al Army (ANA). UK personnel trained the first battalion of the ANA in April 2002 and have been providing NCO training since March 2003. The ANA decree signed by President Karzai in December 2002 refers to training up to 70,000 personnel but does not specify a completion date. We do not have access to exact figures for personnel who have completed the US training program, or for the retention rate. But the ANA currently consists of eight battalions and as of late June around 4,500 soldiers had undergone basic training.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the process of democratisation and political participation in Afghanistan; what recent discussions(a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the Afghan Government; and if he will make a statement. [131338]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWork has begun on a new Afghan constitution. The UK has made clear that the new constitution must reflect Afghan culture and traditions and also respect Afghanistan's obligations under international human rights standards. A Constitutional Loya Jirga will meet in December to approve a new constitution.Elections are due in mid-2004, but it has yet to be decided how these are to be organised. The UN has begun the voter registration process, although they are still seeking funding for this programme. The UK has so far allocated £3 million to assist with preparations for the elections, and we will consider further requests for funding.
During their visits to Afghanistan earlier this year, both my right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) met with President Karzai and a number of his Ministers in the Afghan Transitional Administration. Reform of the political process was one of the many issues that were discussed. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our embassy in Kabul are in regular contact with members of the Transitional Administration on these issues.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions(a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of NATO member states' governments concerning the expansion of (i) the number and (ii) the mandate of peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [131339]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe UK has regular discussions at all levels with NATO partners both bilaterally and in NATO fora on matters relating to Afghanistan, including the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). NATO took over leadership of ISAF in August 2003 and is currently engaged in a review of ISAF's role. It would be inappropriate for us to second-guess the outcome of this review and any possible effect it might have on the ISAF mandate or the number of troops1108W required for any additional tasks. But any change to ISAF's role would also require amendment of its mandate through the UN.
§ Angus RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions(a) he and (b) members of his Department have had with representatives of the Russian Government concerning peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. [131340]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienOn 26 June 2003, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary briefed President Putin and Foreign Minister Ivanov on his forthcoming visit to Afghanistan. Russia is not directly participating in the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. But we regularly discuss issues relating to Afghanistan, including security issues, with the Russian Government, both bilaterally and in international fora such as the NATO-Russia Council and the UN. Most recently, officials briefed the Russian embassy in London on 15 September 2003 on progress made by the UK Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mazar-e Sharif.