BELGIUM SIGNS ON TO EU COUNCIL STATEMENT ON AFGHAN

UNCLAS BRUSSELS 000889 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE AND NEA/A E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV AF BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM SIGNS ON TO EU COUNCIL STATEMENT ON AFGHAN ELECTIONS, NO INDIVIDUAL STATEMENT FORTHCOMING REF: STATE 63551 ¶1. Post delivered reftel demarche on June 22. On June 24, we were informed by the Afghan desk of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that Belgium does not intend to make an individual declaration on the elections at the present time. The MFA referred to the common statement released by the European Union following the European Council meetings on June 19. The MFA welcomes President Obama's statement, finds it appropriate and approves of it. It shares the view the credible elections are what Afghanistan needs most today. ¶2. As quoted by the MFA, the EU statement says: Begin text: Recognizing the challenging environment in which the first Afghan-led election process will take place, the EU attaches the greatest importance to the holding of credible, inclusive and secure presidential and provincial elections in Afghanistan in line with international standards, which would strengthen the support of the Afghan people for their institutions. It is particularly important that the state exercise its authority with impartiality and integrity to ensure that no candidate is unfairly disadvantaged. Political legitimacy is at the heart of further progress in Afghanistan. Afghan politicians have an important role to play by reaching out to the voters and encouraging Afghans to exercise their right to choose their own leaders by participating in the August elections. The EU also calls on candidates to use the campaigning period to present policy manifestos, which inform and engage the population in the political process. As part of international efforts, the EU remains committed to supporting the elections and will deploy a team of international observers to Afghanistan. End text. BUSH .