Statement of Former Ministers of Foreign Affairs on Afghanistan and Pakistan

We, former Foreign Ministers from 20 countries, met in Washington D.C., December 4-6, 2009 under the leadership of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

We agree on the following:

A long-term peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan is vital for regional and international security;

We endorse the expanded troop commitments by the United States, NATOs European members and other nations in the International Security Assistance Force, as necessary to build peace and stability;

We all believe that the entire international community must do more in Afghanistan to build an effective civilian effort to match the military efforts on the ground. Without this, there will be no effective counter-insurgency strategy.

To build such an improved civilian effort, the international community should:

Agree at the London conference in January on a civilian surge by all countries to extend much greater and more effective assistance and to put economic power and greater capabilities back in the hands of the Afghan people.

As part of this civilian surge, the international community should agree upon a single, powerful civilian to oversee all assistance and be a counterpart to the ISAF commander on the military side.

Create a World Bank-led international group to stimulate economic assistance and greater trade with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Specifically, we need to help the Afghan people take greater advantage of their natural resources to produce jobs in mining, construction, and agriculture, thereby reducing dependence on opium production. With this in mind, we should continue to advocate large-scale infrastructure projects to provide the basis for long-term economic growth.

Encourage a greater commitment to education in both countries. In addition, the international community should consider what it can do to promote more effective political institutions and the rule of law.

Renew and Rebuild the UN-led civilian efforts

We also believe that more attention needs to be given to the challenges of educating each of our publics about the long-term imperative of sustaining international involvement in Afghanistan/Pakistan. With this in mind, we need to foster a more vigorous public dialogue in each of our countries.

We believe the international community must remain focused on protecting the rights of women and improving the standards of living and opportunities available for women in both countries

Finally, as a long-term measure, because we believe there needs to be a regional solution to Afghanistans problems, we should consider forming a wider international contact group, to include Afghanistans neighbors and other countries actively involved, to contribute greater political and economic support to the international effort in Afghanistan.

Signatories,

Madeleine Albright - United States

Halldór Ásgrímsson - Iceland

Lloyd Axworthy - Canada

Shlomo Ben-Ami - Israel

Lamberto Dini - Italy

Jan Eliasson - Sweden

Joschka Fischer - Germany

Rosario Green - Mexico

Igor Ivanov - Russia

JÃnos Martonyi - Hungary

Don McKinnon - New Zealand

Marwan Muasher - Jordan

Ana Palacio - Spain

Niels Helveg Petersen - Denmark

Surin Pitsuwan - Thailand

Lydie Polfer - Luxembourg

Malcolm Rifkind - United Kingdom

Jozias van Aartsen - The Netherlands

Hubert Védrine - France

Knut Vollebaek - Norway

The Aspen Atlantic Group, conceived in 2003 by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, is an assembly of former foreign ministers from around the world and across the political spectrum. Building on a history of constructive negotiations, policy acumen, and continued influence as members of parliament, advisors to governments and political parties, and opinion leaders, these former ministers are uniquely positioned to leverage their experience and insight to promote a more candid, open, and collaborative transatlantic exchange. The mission of the Aspen Atlantic group is to develop concrete, non-partisan recommendations to help the two sides of the Atlantic address the next frontier of global challenges.

The Aspen Institute mission is twofold: to foster values-based leadership, encouraging individuals to reflect on the ideals and ideas that define a good society, and to provide a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. The Aspen Institute does this primarily in four ways: seminars, young-leader fellowships around the globe, policy programs and public conferences and events. The Institute is based in Washington, DC, Aspen, Colorado, and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and has an international network of partners.