KABUL - UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson on Tuesday reaffirmed the commitment of the world body to Afghanistan’s future as it undergoes its political and security transition next year and beyond.

“I conveyed to all of my interlocutors the UN is committed to continued partnership with Afghanistan, provided that this is the wish of the government and the Afghan people,” he said.

At the end of a five-day trip to Afghanistan, Eliasson said in a statement: “We will provide our support where and when needed, and following modalities that respect Afghan leadership and sovereignty.”

He met President Karzai, several ministers, the speakers of the Wolesi Jirga and Meshrano Jirga, representatives from the Independent Electoral Commission, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission chairperson, political parties and civil society groups.

Topics discussed in his meetings included the presidential election, ongoing peace efforts, humanitarian and development aid, human rights, the rule of law and support from the international community, including the UN, during and after the country’s transition in 2014 and in the following years.

“I found that there is a strong consensus amongst all actors, from the president to civil society groups, that Afghanistan’s achievements of the past decade must be protected as it advances through political, security and economic transition processes, its pursuit of peace and reconciliation, and enters the post-2014 period,”. Eliasson said.

He also met representatives of the diplomatic, donor and humanitarian community, the International Security Assistance Force and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in addition to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

“The UN will continue to be a close, reliable and sincere partner of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and its people in this important phase in its democratic development,” Eliasson promised.

Accompanied by the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Ján Kubiš, who also heads UNAMA, Eliasson visited the southern province of Kandahar. (Pajhwok)