Visit of senior Afghan
Parliamentary delegation to NATO
On 12 March 2007, a senior Afghan delegation, led by Mr. Younus
Qanooni, Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, visited NATO Headquarters
in Brussels.
The delegation was composed of Chairmen, Deputy Chairmen and members of
parliamentary committees, including those on Defence and Territorial Integrity,
Internal Affairs, National Economy, International Affairs, and Education.
NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, Ambassador Daan Everts,
accompanied the party.
Mr. Qanooni had a bilateral meeting with the Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer,
and met with Allied Ambassadors. The delegation held in-depth discussions
with senior NATO representatives on NATO’s role in the Afghan stabilisation
process, the public diplomacy aspects of NATO’s efforts in Afghanistan, the
role of national parliaments, the contribution of Provincial Reconstruction
Teams, and the long-term prospects for and challenges to regional stability.
At the press conference, Mr. Qanooni stated “NATO is a very important player
in the process of achieving security, stability and development in Afghanistan.
The Afghan people look very positively at the role NATO has been playing
over the past several years and we want to see NATO continuing its work.”
On 13 March, the delegation will visit Allied Command Operations in Mons
where they will meet with SACEUR, General John Craddock, attend a presentation
on the work of Allied Command Operations and visit the Partnership Co-ordination
Cell.
Following their visit to NATO and ACO, the delegation will travel to the
Netherlands to meet with members of the Dutch Parliament, as well as with
the Minister of Defence and the Minister for Development Co-operation.
This high-level Afghan visit demonstrates that NATO and the Afghan authorities
are fully committed to working together in implementation of the NATO-Afghan
Declaration signed in September 2006 and to building a peaceful, stable and
democratic Afghanistan.