The Bishop of Wakefield, the Rt Revd Stephen Platten, today called on the international community to chart a new course of action in Afghanistan.

Bishop Stephen said:" It has taken us ten years to learn there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan, but we appear no nearer to knowing what a just political settlement might look like, let alone how to achieve it. Next week's international conference in Bonn offers an important opportunity, maybe our last opportunity before the withdrawal of troops in 2014, to chart a new course of action for Afghanistan and the region that is capable of securing a just and lasting peace. I'm encouraged that there is growing international  acceptance, not least by our own Government, that this can only be done by including all those with a role in the conflict and representatives of all those with a legitimate interest in securing peace and reconciliation. Securing a sustainable political settlement in Afghanistan is important both for the well being of the Afghan people and for Britain's long term security."

The Bishop of Wakefield, the Church of England's lead Bishop on defence and security matters, made the comments following a meeting he had in Parliament with a delegation of Afghan Civil Society leaders who were visiting European capitals ahead of the Bonn Conference in December. Bishop Stephen said: "My meeting today with civil society leaders, whose organisations work often amongst the poorest and most deprived communities in Afghanistan, underscores the necessity of moving away from generalised resolutions to concrete steps forward; away from counter insurgency towards addressing the root causes of the conflict and the poverty and inequality which drives it; away from quick fixes towards sustainable development; and away from trading away people's rights towards empowering civil society, women and vulnerable communities. The Bonn Conference presents a real opportunity to address these pressing issues."

One of the Afghan members of the delegation who met Bishop Stephen said:"As ministers meet in Bonn, many of the communities we work with tell us that violence and insecurity is increasing  - and it's the ordinary people who are suffering. And on top of this there is now another severe drought in the north west of the country with 2.6 million people without enough food to eat as winter draws on. As a result, over 450 000 Afghans have been forced to leave their homes for other parts of the country. That's why the nations meeting in Bonn must also agree on real action now to better focus international aid to ensure it  reaches the people most in need across the  whole country."