§ The Earl of Sandwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made with the disarmament of local or provisional militia in Afghanistan; and to what extent they are being absorbed into the national army to make up for slow recruitment and defections. [HL3728]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanAccording to the latest figures we have from the United Nations (UN), by mid-July some 10,000 militia officers and soldiers had passed through the UN-led programme of demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration. Around 2 per cent chose to enlist in the Afghan national army (ANA) or police force as their reintegration option. A further 10 per cent will assist with de-mining. The overwhelming majority of demobilised personnel have elected to enter civilian society through vocational training, small business training or agriculture. The ANA has now expanded to four battalions consisting of around 12,000 personnel in total. ANA units regularly operate effectively alongside coalition forces on arms collection and counter-insurgency missions throughout Afghanistan.
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§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the costs of the additional provincial reconstruction teams agreed to be established in Afghanistan at the NATO summit in Istanbul on 28–29 June are to be borne collectively by NATO member states, or by the states providing the teams. [HL3947]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanIt is standard NATO practice for member states to fund their own deployments. Each provincial reconstruction team (PRT) run under the International Security Assistance Force is headed by a lead nation that funds its own national contingent and the infrastructure needed to support the PRT. Other troop contingents or civilian representatives from partner nations are funded by the country that provides them.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the expansion of the NATO presence in Afghanistan will reduce the power of local warlords and tackle the drugs trade. [HL3948]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanNATO's agreed plan for expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is based on phased expansion of the network of provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) across Afghanistan. One of the aims of the PRTs is to support the Afghan central government in extending their authority in the regions. The communique from NATO's summit in Istanbul on 28 June states that NATO will provide appropriate support, within ISAF's mandate, to the Afghan authorities in taking resolute action against the production and trafficking of narcotics.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many aid, construction and election workers were killed in Afghanistan in (a) 2003; and (b) the first six months of 2004. [HL3949]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThere are no authoritative statistics, but media reporting suggests that 18 aid, construction and election workers died in 2003; and 42 died in the first six months of 2004. These totals include both foreign nationals and Afghan citizens working for the United Nations and nongovermental organisations.
§ The Earl of Sandwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the recent proposal of the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit for a long-term plan for security in Afghanistan. [HL4039]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe welcome the emphasis on a long-term plan for security in the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit's June briefing paper, "Minimal Investments, Minimal Results: The Failure of Security Policy in Afghanistan". We continually review our own, and partners', efforts in this area, but we believe that a 135WA long-term plan already exists and is being implemented.
In the short term, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and the US-led coalition are assisting the Afghan authorities to build a secure environment. NATO is currently implementing plans for expanding ISAF.
In the longer term, sustainable improvement in security can only come through developing the capabilities of Afghanistan's own security and law enforcement institutions. The international community has made a long-term commitment to Security Sector Reform (SSR). The UK has been very active in this. We have committed £70 million over three years from 2003–04 to assist the Afghan authorities in their efforts to combat the production and trafficking of illegal narcotics. The UK is also active in police reconstruction; reform of the Afghan National Army; the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration process; and the justice sector. As the paper points out, provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) provide both short and long-term support, helping the Afghan authorities create a more secure and stable environment and thereby facilitating SSR. We fully support the PRT "stabilisation" model promoted in the paper, and the UK PRTs in northern Afghanistan have demonstrated what it can achieve.