Mr President, in all our efforts to help construct a better Afghanistan we should not lose sight of why we are now involved there with such commitment. It is, of course, to root out terrorism, to help build a peaceable, well-disposed, durable and better society and to ensure that the extremists do not set down fresh roots either within the country or elsewhere. All our actions should be measured against these yardsticks and we should be under no illusions about the fragility of the situation, which poses major challenges both for ISAF and the other coalition forces operating within the country. There is now wider agreement about the desirability of ISAF broadening its mandate beyond Kabul. This is not just a matter of the availability of suitable international forces but, as Commission Patten has said, it also tests the willingness of reluctant local warlords, often backed by foreign interests in the region, to comply with the authority of Kabul. The Turkish armed forces are to be congratulated on the satisfactory completion of the first half of their span of command of ISAF. The building of a professional and reliable Afghan army and police force, which is happening in parallel largely under American, British and French auspices, will take time and there seems little doubt that ISAF will have to continue its operations next year and an early indication of the follow-on command arrangements is needed. The last thing we need, when action against Iraq is in the air, is uncertainty about military arrangements in Afghanistan. I should like to highlight three particular aspects of the situation: refugees, EU funding and the landmine issue. Firstly, refugees, which Mr Haarder touched on earlier. There is now a degree of security in Afghanistan. Yet, while many refugees have returned to the country, millions remain in Iran and Pakistan. Some talk about two or three million respectively, though estimates differ significantly. Furthermore, a large proportion of refugees and asylum-seekers coming to Britain and other European countries originate from Afghanistan. We should bear in mind that many have extremist backgrounds and that we are therefore vulnerable to the implantation and cultivation of Islamic extremists within our own societies, not just from Afghanistan. This is madness. More focused and determined action is needed to deal with these problems and encourage return to Afghanistan. On the funding question, the USD 4.5 billion pledged at Tokyo in January, including over USD 1 billion from the European Union, has, for the most part, been slow to arrive – although I note the Commissioner's remarks about the way the Commission has responded. There is an absorption problem: the Afghan Interim Government lacks the institutions to disburse the money efficiently and needs greater assistance in this area. At the same time there has to be proper control and management of international funds. I say this at a time when, yet again, the European Commission's procedures in this respect have been the subject of serious criticism and, as in the Palestine Authority area until recently, the issue of proper control of funds appears to have been largely avoided by the international community. The Bonn Agreement merely states: 'The members of the Interim Administration shall abide by a Code of Conduct elaborated in accordance with international standards.' This Code is not published and, in any case, seems less than adequate. We must insist that measures be put in place by the Afghan authorities and the international community, including the European Union, to ensure the proper management, accounting and use of these funds. Finally, the question of landmines, which has already been touched on by other speakers. Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. This was the case before last September and the situation has been exacerbated since then. The presence of landmines and UXOs – unexploded ordnance – are a major obstacle to economic and social regeneration. It is estimated that between five and ten people are injured in mine blasts every day in Afghanistan and that an estimated 10 million mines litter the country. We welcome the undertaking by the Afghan Interim Government to accede to the Geneva Convention banning the use of antipersonnel landmines, but the mines are still there in the ground and the victims hobble through the streets. There is an urgent requirement for a properly coordinated and funded programme of action to enable the resumption of mine action operations at least at the level they had reached before last September. A concerted time-limited effort is needed, otherwise we are still going to be talking about this in ten years' time. There is much to be done in Afghanistan. Let us get it right, working in harmony with the United States and other allies – and all the time remember why we are there. (Applause)

Political group: PPE-DE