UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council authorized NATO-led troops to stay in Afghanistan for another year on Wednesday and gave the Japanese government support in its domestic dispute over refueling U.S. and other ships in the Indian Ocean.
NATO-led troops on a joint patrol with Afghan National Army troops in southern Afghanistan in this July 13, 2007 file photo. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly
The vote was 14-0 with Russia abstaining in the resolution that emphasized “the increased violent and terrorist activities by the Taliban, Al Qaeda, illegally armed groups and those involved in the narcotics trade.”
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has close to 40,000 soldiers in Afghan to combat the country’s former Taliban rulers, toppled by U.S. and Afghan forces in 2001.
New in the resolution is a sentence expressing appreciation to NATO and contributions from many nations to ISAF, which includes Japan, “including its maritime interdiction component.”
Japan’s top government spokesman, Kaoru Yosano, welcomed the resolution.
“It is very important that Japan’s refueling activity was evaluated highly by the United Nations and members of the U.N. Security Council,” Yosano told reporters in Tokyo.
“We have confirmed that our refueling activity is in accord with what the United Nations wants.”
The leader of Japan’s main opposition Democratic Party, Ichiro Ozawa, has opposed extending Japan’s mission to refuel coalition ships in the Indian Ocean, in part because he says the activities lack direct U.N. permission.
The U.N. backing could help resolve the standoff between Japan’s ruling coalition and the Democrats and a showdown over the issue in parliament.
But the Democrats stood firm.
“There is no change in our stance,” Democratic lawmaker Kenji Yamaoka told reporters.
“(The resolution) creates misunderstandings for the people, and if I may use harsher words, it deceives them.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe abruptly announced his resignation last week after a troubled year in office, citing the confrontation over the naval mission as the main reason.
The Democrats and their opposition allies won control of parliament’s upper house in a July election and can delay legislation to extend the mission beyond a Nov. 1 deadline.
But the reference to maritime interdiction prompted Russia to abstain and China to criticize the resolution, although it voted in favour.
“A decision was made to give priority to domestic considerations of some members of the United Nations,” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said. “But we believe our main responsibility is to the Security Council.”
Churkin noted that the mandate for ISAF did not expire for another month and council members should have “exerted every effort to get unanimity.”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are leading a high-level meeting on Afghanistan on Sunday at U.N. headquarters.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who was born in Afghanistan, said the group would discuss security, narcotics, governance, regional cooperation and economic development.
The resolution also recognizes the need to further strengthen ISAF and asks countries “to contribute personnel, equipment and other resources.”
And it condemns “in the strongest terms” suicide attacks, abductions and other violent action against civilians and international forces “and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts.’
The document singles out the Taliban “and other extremist groups” for using civilians as human shields.
An ISAF humvee overlooks Khost, Afghanistan.
The United Nations Security Council has voted 14–0 to extend the mandate of the  (ISAF) in Afghanistan by another year.

The resolution says the Security Council agreed to, "extend the authorization of the International Security Assistance Force, as defined in resolutions 1386 (2001) and 1510 (2003), for a period of 12 months beyond October 13, 2007."

Although Russia has veto power on the Security Council, it abstained during the 14-0 vote on September 19th.  

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, , told ''RIA Novosti'' Russia abstained because of what he called, "the unexpected inclusion in the document of a sentence expressing appreciation to NATO ....  "including its maritime interdiction component." "

Part of Resolution 1776 (2007) reads, "Expressing its appreciation for the leadership provided by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and for the contributions of many nations to ISAF and to the OEF coalition, including its maritime interdiction component."

Media reports indicate this section of the resolution provides support to Japan in a domestic dispute in that country over refueling of U.S. and other ships in the Indian Ocean.  Japanese government spokesperson, Kaoru Yosano, told ''Reuters'' the resolution was welcome, adding, "It is very important that Japan's refueling activity was evaluated highly by the United Nations and members of the U.N. Security Council."

"A decision was made to give priority to domestic considerations of some members of the United Nations," Churkin told ''Agence France Presse''. "The unity of the Security Council has been sacrificed to undue haste."

Even before the Security Council vote, Japanese officials hoped the resolution would clear the way to extend a naval mission assisting U.S.-led Afghanistan military operations, showing support for Washington and averting a conflict in the Japanese in parliament as a new government begins its mandate there.

The leader of Japan's main opposition Democratic Party, Ichiro Ozawa, has opposed extending Japan's mission to refuel coalition ships in the Indian Ocean, in part because he says the activities lack a direct U.N. imprimatur.

Although expressing concerns about the resolution, and calling for future decisions on the issue to be made "by consensus", China supported the resolution.

The resolution extends the ISAF mission mandate under Chapter VII of the  until October 13, 2008.

Expressing its concern about all civilian casualties, the resolution, condemns "in the strongest terms all attacks, including Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks, suicide attacks and abductions, targeting civilians and Afghan and international forces and their deleterious effect on the stabilization, reconstruction and development efforts in Afghanistan," as well as "the use by the Taliban and other extremist groups of civilians as human shields."

The resolution also calls for ISAF coalition members to, "sustain their efforts to train and empower the National Police and other Afghan forces."  

ISAF currently has approximately 39,000 troops deployed in Afghanistan.  Its mission, as stated on the ISAF web page, is to, "conduct military operations in the assigned area of operations to assist the Government of Afghanistan in the establishment and maintenance of a safe and secure environment with full engagement of Afghan National Security Forces, in order to extend government authority and influence, thereby facilitating Afghanistan's reconstruction and contributing to regional stability."