Sir, - I wish to clarify certain remarks attributed to me in the Friday Interview (November 2nd). The overall profile is a very fair reflection of the interview which I had with Paul Cullen. However, in the final sentence of the piece, it is stated that I am "broadly comfortable . . . with the US-led war". I do not believe that this summary does sufficient justice to what I said.
The question I recall being asked during the interview was did I agree with the Irish Government's policy in relation to the situation in Afghanistan? The answer I gave was that broadly speaking I did, but I had some significant qualifications to the answer.
The Government's position on Afghanistan was in line with the position adopted by the UN Security Council as part of the international response to the terrorist attacks on New York on September 11th. That position provided for a three-strand approach consisting of a military, political and humanitarian response. During the interview, I made no comment on the military response. I did say that I was very concerned about the lack of an effective humanitarian response up to then (the interview was conducted on October 23rd).
Concern had pointed out that there was a growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan which had to be tackled with great urgency before the winter set in. For this to happen, there had to be action to establish humanitarian corridors to deliver aid and that, in turn, required serious political decisions which could only realistically be made at the level of the UN Security Council.
As regards the Government's response to the evolving situation, my understanding was that it was making very serious efforts, both at the UN and in other fora, to secure rapid action on both the political and humanitarian fronts. That understanding was based on what I had been told, at a meeting on October 18th, by Ambassador Richard Ryan, who, along with Minister Brian Cowen, chaired the UN Security Council during October. On that same day, Minister Cowen, along with Minister Liz O'Donnell, had met with representatives from Concern, Christian Aid, GOAL and Tr≤caire and had given a similar message to the NGOs.
Some two weeks on from these various discussions, the need for urgent action on the humanitarian front has become even greater. The amounts of food reaching those areas of Afghanistan with the greatest need over the coming months are seriously inadequate. The need for shelter is becoming daily more acute as the winter sets in.
There is clearly a growing international concern about the morality - and the efficacy - of the current military campaign. One thing is very clear. If the current situation leads to a major humanitarian crisis, involving significant loss of life, it will be impossible to sustain the international coalition against terrorism and will sow the seeds for an even more unstable and dangerous world in the future. In the short term interests of the unfortunate Afghan people, and in the longer term interests of the whole world community, clear decisions and decisive actions are required now. - Yours, etc.,
Tom Arnold, Chief Executive, Concern Worldwide, Camden Street, Dublin 1.