The Government's response to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) report 'Global Security: Afghanistan and Pakistan' was published on 2 October 2009.

Read the report - Command Paper Cm 7702 [pdf, 223kb]

The Foreign Secretary said:

"We welcome the Committee’s report. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the Government’s top foreign policy priorities. These issues deserve the widest possible engagement and the Committee’s report contributes usefully to the debate."

The UK is in Afghanistan to ensure that Al Qaeda can never again use the region as a base to plan terror attacks across the world. It is vital to the UK’s interests that Afghanistan becomes a stable and secure state, and that terrorists are also denied safe haven on the Pakistani side of the border. 

We therefore also support Pakistan in its attempts to combat the challenges it faces, including the shared threat of violent extremism. We remain strongly committed to our partnership with the Pakistani people, notably through our aid programme.

As the Prime Minister said on 4 September, security must come first, but there will be no purely military solutions in Afghanistan. To achieve lasting stability, our military efforts must continue to be complemented by development work and a comprehensive political strategy.

We keep our strategy under constant review, but as the Prime Minister has said, it must be understood as part of a wider international strategy.

---

More about the UK in Afghanistan

Notes for Editors

British Embassy in Afghanistan

House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC)

Back to newsroom

Back to top