Brahimi pledges UN support for Afghanistan's new Transitional Government

The senior United Nations envoy for Afghanistan today pledged the world body's full support for the country's Transitional Government, which is being set up by the Loya Jirga grand council.

The Special Representative for the Secretary-General for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, told journalists today in Kabul that the UN's role would be to support the Transitional Government, working closely with the authorities.

Mr. Brahimi also said that he was pleased with the implementation so far of the Bonn Agreement, which spelled out key milestones for the political transition including the establishment of the Interim Government and the convening of the Loya Jirga.

Today, the newly elected head of the Transitional Government of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, addressed the Loya Jirga, offering his vision for the future. Dozens of delegates took the floor after him, expressing views on a variety of issues, and recommending ways the Transitional Government could best fulfil its obligations to the people.

Meanwhile in Vienna, the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) today announced the start of new measures to combat drug cultivation and trafficking in Afghanistan. The measures form part of a project, which has already begun with ODCCP support, that also covers 10 other countries in the region.

"We have had some encouraging early successes, such as the establishment of the Drug Control Agency in Tajikistan," said ODDCP Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa, adding that the UN hoped to replicate this progress in "neighbouring countries and the world as a whole."