Zhang Yishan, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, called on the international community on Tuesday to further promote the process of peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Speaking on behalf of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Zhang said the SCO member States, which comprises China, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, welcomed the process of peace and reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Politically, Afghanistan had promulgated a new Constitution and had held successful presidential and parliamentary elections, he addressed the plenary meeting of the 60th session of the General Assembly on the situation in Afghanistan, adding that economically, it had achieved an impressive growth rate of 20 percent last year.     

In the security area, the Afghan National Army and Police forces had started to undertake local security responsibilities independently, and in the area of foreign relations, Afghanistan had successfully completed the Bonn process and was seeking to develop friendly relations and cooperation with its neighbors, Zhang said.

However, he pointed out that Afghanistan was still facing quite a number of pressing problems, including a lack of stability, an arduous task of economic reconstruction, and handling such issues as narcotics production and trafficking.

He stressed that national reconciliation would be crucial in achieving a long-term comprehensive settlement of the Afghan conflict, saying it was essential that Afghanistan build friendly and cooperative relations with its neighbors and continue to seek support from the international community.

The international community should respect the state's sovereignty and the Afghan people's independent choice of their social system and development mode, he added.

The SCO had provided extensive humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people and was ready to have exchanges and cooperation with the country in areas of mutual interest, he noted.

He also emphasized that countering the production and proliferation of drugs remained one of the key elements in stabilizing the situation.

Following the completion of the Bonn process, the role for the UN should include the coordination of the international community's peace-building and reconstruction efforts, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 30, 2005)