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Tuesday,
16th November 2001
PRESS
RELEASE
“MOVEMENT FOR THE NATIONAL
CONGRESS OF AFGHANISTAN ”
Re: Establishment of the
Movement for the National Congress of Afghanistan (MNCA)
For a democratic and secular
Afghanistan
Brussels – 10 November
2001
The founding Assembly of the «Movement
for the National Congress of Afghanistan » (MNCA)
was held on November 10, 2001 in Brussels .
It gathered together more than 400 representatives
of Afghanistan ’s civil society opposing all forms of extremism
and violence.
The MNCA is an independent secular movement
and is not affiliated to any political, ethnic or religious
group or party.
The MNCA has elected a stirring committee
consisting of:
- An advisory council of 49 members
- A co-ordination committee of 13
people, including 6 women.
Latif PEDRAM, a well-known academic
and writer who was forced to leave Afghanistan in 1998 and has
been living since in Paris , has been designated as the spokesperson
for the MCNA.
OBJECTIVES
The founding members of the MNCA work on
a common project aiming towards the creation of a democratic
and secular political system in Afghanistan , respectful
of human rights, full equality of women and men and all other
civil liberties including freedom of consciousness.
To this end the MNCA intends to:
• Actively inform and raise awareness
among political and diplomatic circles (both international
and Afghan), international institutions and the general public
regarding crucial issues at stake in promoting democratic
and secular alternatives for Afghanistan .
• Develop and propose political options
which reflect the aspirations of the Afghan people for peace
and democracy.
Contacts
(Paris - France )
Latif PEDRAM
E-mail: mcnafghan@hotmail.com-
Web Site: http://www.mcna.fr.st
THE CONTEXT
Almost a quarter of a century of uninterrupted
war and insecurity has forced nearly one quarter of the Afghan
people into exile to neighbouring and distant countries. In
fact most of the civil society, political representatives and
executives, intellectuals, scientific and economic elites of
Afghanistan , as well as its academia, writers and artists,
have been living in exile in neighbouring countries ( Pakistan
and Iran ) and in Europe and North America .
These men and women, from all ethnic groups
of Afghanistan , represent a force, if not an essential force
for the political, economic and social reconstruction of their
country.
They share the same ideals of freedom of
expression, peace, equality, democracy and independence. Ideals
and aspirations that are practised as rights often acquired
at great cost, in their host countries. Aspirations, which have
always existed in Afghanistan , a fact too often forgotten,
even prior to the Soviet invasion of 1978.
The unacceptable situation in Afghanistan
is the result of numerous instances of political, military and
economic interference since 1978, the last manifestation of
which was the Taliban dictatorship and the presence of Oussama
Bin Laden and his mercenaries.
The resistance of the Afghan people to successive
attempted invasions is well known. However, the weakness of
the political and institutional organisation of the country
and the suppression or elimination of all democratic forces
have prevented the transition from the military option to the
political option.
Transition from a militarised phase to
a political one is presently the central issue. Numerous
plans and projects are being considered which purport to be
a basis for a viable and long lasting political future for the
country. However, even in the scenario where the repressive
Taliban regime is definitively eliminated, the "solutions"
being proposed – the return of the former king Zaher and of
the Loya Jirga, the participation of so-called "moderate"
Taliban, among others – cannot ensure a satisfactory and long
lasting end to the crisis. Moreover, these proposals represent
options, which have historically proven their inefficiency and
damaging effects.
In particular, they offer neither a democratic
perspective nor a guarantee of peaceful coexistence both within
the country and with neighbouring countries.
However, democracy and guarantees for peaceful
coexistence are of primary importance.
Thus, any consideration and any project relating
to the future political structure of Afghanistan must necessarily
take into account «the right to self-determination»
as defined in the United Nations Charter as well as the question
of fundamental liberties, human rights, democracy, political
pluralism and peace.
By the same token they must put an end
to the various processes of confrontation - especially political
and religious- which have driven Afghanistan to the brink of
the abyss, and on the other hand ensure the integration of
new social and political elements which have emerged during
the last twenty-three years of almost continual war.
These are the obligatory preconditions
for bringing any viable solution to the present crisis, and
not the eventual medium or long-term consequences of this process.
Afghanistan is no more destined to remain
a bastion of traditionalism than it is to continue to be the
theatre for the «Great Game».
There is no other viable
political alternative for Afghanistan than the democratic and
secular option.
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