Luxembourg, 24 February 2010 – The Committee for Parliamentary and Public Relations of the European Security and Defence Assembly/Assembly of WEU, meeting today in Luxembourg, expressed astonishment and dismay at reports suggesting that Afghan President Hamid KARZAI had unilaterally rewritten Afghan election law by presidential decree and taken control of all appointments to the country’s Electoral Complaints Commission, created to oversee election irregularities.

The Parliamentary and Public Relations Committee is currently drafting a major report on shifts in public opinion as regards the current military operation in Afghanistan against a background of growing evidence that public support is diminishing. The Committee considers that, if the reports are true, President KARZAI’s actions would serve only to further undermine the legitimacy of the Afghan Government in the eyes of European citizens. That legitimacy is critical to rebuilding public support for NATO operations in Afghanistan.

The Committee demands that EU governments should seek urgent clarification of the situation and believes that such a decision cannot be allowed to stand. The integrity of the election process is essential to convince the public at large of the need to support our troops in the very difficult task which they are undertaking in Afghanistan on behalf of all the people of Europe.

Committee Chairman Paul WILLE (Belgium, Liberal Group) and Rapporteur John GREENWAY MP (United Kingdom, Federated Group) expressed full agreement with the reported comments of the United Nations which hosted the recent London conference on Afghanistan. “At that conference, the Afghan Government and international community jointly committed to ensuring the integrity of the 2010 parliamentary elections. Any action by President KARZAI must conform to this agreement and ensure that the elections will be free and fair.”

Mr GREENWAY, together with Mrs Liana KANELLI (Greece, non-aligned) and Vice-Chairman Marco ZACCHERA (Italy, Federated Group), is to submit a report, “Afghanistan – explaining the reasons for the war to the public”, on behalf of the Committee for Parliamentary and Public Relations to the Assembly’s 58th plenary session which is to be held in Paris (Palais d’Iéna) from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 June 2010.


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