Statement / by the President of the Security Council

Statement [made on behalf of the Security Council, at the 5004th meeting, 15 July 2004, in connection with the Council's consideration of the item entitled "The situation in Afghanistan"]

Calls upon the Afghan Government and the international community to maintain and intensify, ahead of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, their efforts to strengthen the national army and national police, to accelerate the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) process, and to support the Afghan Government in its strategy to eliminate opium production; encourages Afghan authorities to enable an electoral process to provide for voter participation that is representative of the national demographics including women and refugees and, in this regard, calls for the determination of practical modalities for the registration and participation of the Afghan refugees in Iran and Pakistan in the ongoing Afghan electoral process; stresses the importance of providing the necessary funding for the timely implementation of the JEMB's timetables; reaffirms its full support for the SRSG and UNAMA and reiterates the central and impartial role of the UN in the international efforts to assist the Afghan people in consolidating peace in Afghanistan and rebuilding their country.

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