President Karzai Hails the Result of the 2005 Annual Opium Poppy Survey and Calls for Extra Assistance towards Alternative Livelihoods – Press release 08/29/05

The Arg, Presidential Compound, Kabul – H.E. Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, today welcomed the 21% decrease of poppy cultivation shown in the 2005 Annual Opium Poppy Survey for Afghanistan carried out jointly by United Nations Office for Drugs & Crime and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics.

The survey shows that the areas under opium cultivation in Afghanistan decreased from about 131,000 hectares (ha) in 2004 to 104,000 ha in 2005.  The 21% decrease was recorded this year in line with the Rapid Assessment Survey implemented in January-February of 2005. 

The main reasons for the decline were that villagers refrained from poppy cultivation due to respect for the government’s ban on opium poppy cultivation as well as fear of eradication by the Government.

In his reaction to the report the President said: “I’m extremely pleased to note that the people of Afghanistan have responded positively to the call for Jihad against the evil of narcotics. This indicates that the Afghan people are taking steps towards ridding their country from this menace. I would like to pay particular praise to the people of the Province of Nangarhar which saw decrease of 96% in cultivation.”

“I expect that the international community will continue to fulfill its responsibility by providing assistance towards Alternative Livelihoods so that poor farmers will not suffer economic hardship, and Afghanistan will become a drug free country.”

Released by the Office of the Spokesman to the President - Islamic Republic of Afghanistan

Pakistan should not pressure refugees, Afghans say

KABUL, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Pakistan should not put pressure on Afghan refugees to return home, Afghanistan said on Tuesday, the eve of a Pakistani deadline for camps to close in a remote region where troops have been battling Islamic militants.

About 2.5 million Afghan refugees have returned home from Pakistan since the Taliban government was overthrown in late 2001, but more than three million remain there.

"The government of Afghanistan wants there to be no pressure on refugees," said Afghan President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, Karim Rahimi. "They should not be displaced by force. The return of refugees should be voluntary," he told reporters.

Pakistan says the repatriation from camps in its Kurram and Bajaur agencies is voluntary and it wants the 100,000 refugees home and the camps closed by the end of August.

Rahimi said there were 70,000 people in 20 camps in Kurram, and 53,000 in 12 camps in Bajaur. He said more than four million refugees had returned to Afghanistan since the Taliban's overthrow and their main problem was finding housing.

The camps in question are in Pakistan's rugged tribal region on the Afghan border, where Pakistani forces have been trying to clear out foreign militants and quell tribal rebels.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees voiced support for the closure of the camps, saying refugees were in danger from clashes. Pakistani officials say there is a worry militants could blend in with refugees and use the camps as havens from which to launch attacks.

While there have been no clashes in the immediate vicinity of the camps, hundreds of people have been killed in fighting between security forces and al Qaeda-linked militants in the region in the past two years.

AFGHAN REFUGEES GIVEN MORE TIME TO LEAVE PAKISTAN

KABUL, Aug 30 Asia Pulse - A trilateral commission comprising representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Monday extended the deadline for voluntary repatriation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan for another year.

According to the previous agreement, refugees residing in Pakistan had to return to their homeland by March 2006. Speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News Minister for Refugee Affairs Mohammad Azam Dadfar said the UNCHR and Pakistani authorities had agreed to extend the deadline for another year.

Pakistan has set August 31 as the deadline for refugees living in Bajaur and Kurram Agencies and September 15 for those in Pakistan's twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The minister said refugees in those camps would not be forced to leave their houses immediately. He said their repatriation would be completed through a gradual process. Dadfar added the Pakistani authorities had assured them not to arrest refugees without charges. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Indian PM says satisfied with talks during historic Afghanistan visit

NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (AFP) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned Monday evening from a visit to Afghanistan, expressing satisfaction at efforts to help the war-battered country progress towards democracy. "It is a privilege for India to be a partner in the path that Afghanistan has chosen," Singh told reporters at New Delhi airport.

"So I have come back with a great sense of satisfaction that our two countries are working hand-in-hand to accelerate the tempo of social and economic development and strengthen the democratic foundation of the polity of Afghanistan," he added.

Singh, the first Indian premier to visit Afghanistan in three decades, forecast that it would emerge as a major democratic nation with a commitment to individual rights, the rule of law and an open society.

The country is due next month to hold its first post-Taliban parliamentary elections but is beset by an increasingly deadly insurgency waged by the ousted Islamic militia. More than 1,000 people have been killed since the start of the year.

Singh pledged to help Afghanistan to fight terror groups, saying its recovery was of political and strategic interest to India as well as the region. Singh announced a fresh assistance package of 50 million dollars, mostly earmarked for grassroots development projects.

India once enjoyed close ties with most Afghan groups but relations cooled in 1979 when it refused to oppose the invasion of Afghanistan by the Soviet Union, its Cold War ally. However India backed the Northern Alliance in its fight against the Taliban, who were ousted from power in late 2001 by US-led forces.

Press Briefing by Antonio Maria Costa - Executive Director, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime - Kabul – 29 August 2005

Good evening.

In a press release you must have seen, the situation in Afghanistan is much improved in 2005 with a very significant reduction in the extent of opium cultivation in Afghanistan which declined 21%, with respect to 2004, declining from 131,000 hectares to 104,000 hectares.

This is a very good accomplishment. And I would like to pay tribute to the people of Afghanistan, to the farmers of Afghanistan, and to the President of Afghanistan for their commitment to addressing an issue which has been a drama for the country and for those suffering from such an addiction around the world.

What about the tons and production? Well, we have a problem here, which has nothing to do with human beings but with the almighty. It looks like the almighty was looking through other lenses and didn’t pay much attention to opium cultivation during the winter and spring. Good rain conditions and good snow conditions did indeed increase the productivity of agriculture throughout Afghanistan for all crops and not just for opium.

In the case of opium specifically, the report shows a very major increase in productivity, or the yield, as it is called technically. The number of kilos per hectare last year was estimated at 32. In 2005 it went up to 39 kilos – an increase of 22%. That had an impact on the tons. If you now multiply the hectares, 104,000 times 39 kilos per hectare, you get a pretty large number, 4,100 tons of opium produced potentially in Afghanistan this year which is less than last year so there is an improvement. But still it is a very large amount. But again, we cannot blame the government of Afghanistan or the Coalition partners for the weather conditions. You can blame them for lots of things but not for the weather conditions. This is indeed nothing more than the results of productivity in agriculture.

A couple of words as to why this has happened and what we expect for the future. In terms of why this has happened, we have submitted a number of reasons, or factors. One, the decision of farmers to reduce the cultivation - self-restraint is indeed the main reason. Whether the self-restraint was induced by President Karzai’s exultation, “I’m ashamed for a country which is the scourge of the world,” - you remember his statement in December - or whether the restraint was introduced by religious leaders launching a fatwa against poppy cultivation. Or whether indeed there were other factors at play, farmers indeed restrained themselves. One farmer out of five, this year, did not cultivate opium as against what they did last year.

Second reason: Eradication. The government committed a lot of political capital. Foreign partners committed a lot of resources to eradicate fields. That was widely publicized. Public opinion was aware, farmers were aware that cultivation could be at risk and as a consequence the revenue for this year would be at risk. That indeed was, according to our surveys, ISAF surveys I looked at this morning, the field of eradication played a very major part.

Point number three, obviously market correction. We know that a very large amount of crops during the last few years created stocks, which put downward pressure on the price. Prices are now below $100 a kilo, and that per se, could be called a natural market correction which is in the right direction obviously.

If I want to summarize the changes with respect to last year, I would say there has been a decrease of 20% or more countrywide, but there has also been a shift within the country, away from the traditional regions and provinces into new provinces. This is a matter which I brought to the attention of the President, and I insisted on the importance of taking measures so that the infestation of the opium does not expand into new provinces which potentially could be highly problematic, because they are highly productive in terms of agriculture. The north, the west, Balkh, and so forth.

So we see an average decline, but some provinces which did not behave, Bagdhis, and of course Balkh, Kandahar, Nimroz (a 1000% increase), Samangan (237% increase) and so forth (statistical annex). I have invited the President to take stern measures against the governors in this land. I think that indeed the game in town should not only be moving governors around, but more like removing governors from their positions.

What else for the future? You may like to focus on the final page of the report (on opium cultivation). I stress personally, not only in writing, but also to the President, the need to remove provincial governors who are corrupted or involved in trafficking. I insisted on the removal of officials, military or civilian or police officials, if they are found to be involved and there is plenty of evidence of plenty of corruption around. We have insisted on making sure that the new Parliament does not become a hideout of traffickers seeking impunity via parliamentary immunity. We have been asking for strong judicial reform just to be able to indict and indeed prosecute and indeed jail traffickers and those who have been involved in the opium economy, or in the elements outside, but affected by the opium economy. And also I have been asking for stronger measures, which the President has agreed, and I can say so to the press of stronger measures to facilitate extradition and issuing of international arrest warrants. This is all I wanted to tell you. I am available for questions.

Question: Last year the government and UN institutions committed very strongly for the elimination of poppy cultivation, but the survey does not show a strong decrease – just 21%. If it continues like this it will take many years. Do you think that countries will fund such a slow process for the elimination of poppy cultivation?

Antonio Maria Costa : I can only offer a view on the first part of your question; the second part should be addressed to the donor countries. Our office has been involved in counter narcotics for about 25 years. We have dealt with similar situations in about a couple of dozen countries. In the past it has been Thailand, Pakistan and Turkey, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Morocco and so forth. It has taken 15, 20, or 25 years in Thailand, Pakistan and so forth, to control the problem. There is no reason to believe it will be much faster here. This is for a number of reasons - the complexity of the situation, the police force, the judicial system, and the weak government presence countrywide. We know that. Insurgency, threat etc. Historically, I know of only one case where better results have been obtained in one year – 2001 in Columbia, where there was a massive effort to eradicate by spraying the Coca cultivations from air. It cost a tremendous amount of money; several hundred million dollars and they reduced the cultivation by 31%. That is the only example I have. So in a historical perspective, we consider this a significant result. Indeed it will take years. I think it would be simple-minded to claim or hope that this would be brought under control faster. The international community is committed. Obviously the international community was waiting for some good news, after a few years of bad news. I think that this result, at least in terms of cultivation being reduced, will stimulate the international community to proceed and support the efforts of the government.

Question: Does that mean Afghanistan continues to be the leading opium producer in the world? You said that the international community invested more in eradication, but on the ground the farmers were not satisfied and many of them, just prior to your visit, demonstrated in Kandahar over government promises for alternative livelihoods. Are you satisfied about what happened in terms of alternative livelihoods?

Antonio Maria Costa : Regarding the very unhappy record that Afghanistan accumulated last year – I have said that Afghanistan last year hit the double record - top producer and last year record production in the history of Afghanistan. It remains the top producer of narcotics in the world, not only of opium, but of cannabis. Regarding alternative livelihoods. I think the farmers of Kandahar, and especially the Governor of Kandahar, should shut up. Rather than reducing the cultivation as happened in many other provinces, in Kandahar they increased it by 162%, from 5,000 last year to 13,000 this year. There is no evidence of doing more to get more money. Actually what we have seen is that in three provinces, a significant amount of money was poured – Badakhshan, Nangarhar, and Helmand. In Badakhshan the international community put in USD $45 Million, in Nangarhar, USD $77 Million, and in Helmand USD $55 Million – in these three provinces the cultivation declined; In Badakhshan by 53%, Nangarhar by 93% and in Helmand by 10% - but in overall terms this was an enormous amount as Helmand was traditionally the largest producer.

Question: How authentic or realistic is your report? How would you prove to the international community that it’s based on information from the field and not just ‘cut and paste’? Why 20% and why not 40%.

Antonio Maria Costa : On the methodology – you are insulting not me, but the gentleman behind you, who has been running this project with great dedication. I think this is a magnificent exercise involving hundreds of pictures over time from spot and satellite. There have also been a much larger number of surveyors than before – two years ago we deployed 97 surveyors, last year 110 and this years 306 – visiting a large number of villagers. Some 2,200 villages were visited and over 8,300 farmers interviewed about cultivation, etc. I know of no other institution that has done as much or as thorough exercise as this one. I believe the numbers are solid. Last year the standard deviation was 8%.

Regarding the second question, the decline in poppy cultivation is a result of thousands of farmers deciding not to cultivate. This is the difference with respect to Colombia. They go with planes at four to eight metres above the ground for the spraying activities. There [in Colombia] only a few people are involved and the decision is only taken by those few people. Here [in Afghanistan] it was taken by thousands of farmers, who individually and independently decided not to cultivate opium.

Foreign troops in north Afghanistan say "drug wars" the biggest threat

Faizabad (AFP) - For the foreign troops stationed in this remote and sun-baked north Afghanistan mountain valley, the enemy is all around -- fields of opium poppy cover much of the parched earth.

A recent spike in attacks has made life more dangerous for the international soldiers here as the poor and war-ravaged country heads for September 18 parliamentary elections, the first in more than three decades.

But while Islamic insurgents pose a threat to the contingent, the biggest danger, soldiers here say, comes from warlords who control the lucrative opium trade that floods the streets of far-away Europe with heroin.

"The enemy's motivation is mainly criminal, not political," said Colonel Peter Baierl, the German commander of the Provincial Reconstruction Team in the northeastern city of Faizabad.

"Smugglers and drug wars" are ravaging parts of the district, areas where foreign soldiers of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are "not particularly welcome", he said.

The colonel was speaking on the day his country's visiting Defence Minister Peter Struck voiced concern about the security of 400 German troops based here and at a base in Kunduz.

The Faizabad contingent, where German troops work with Czech, Dutch and Danish soldiers, focuses on reconstruction and development work and on providing security, but the soldiers are not supposed to engage in combat.

Faced with the interrelated problems of the illicit drugs trade, extreme poverty and the smoldering insurgency, the ISAF troops here call themselves "development aid workers with guns", one officer said.

In a morale-boosting address to the German troops, Struck said that without the presence of international troops, Afghanistan would be left at the mercy of "warlords, drug dealers and the Taliban".

Loyalists of the ousted Islamic government have attacked US-led coalition forces, especially in the south and east, raising the death toll from violence this year to about 1,000 -- surpassing last year's total.

But in some other parts of Afghanistan, drug barons have posed the largest threat, using profits from the illicit harvest to finance small private armies that often outgun the under-funded and poorly-trained national police.

On their patrols, German troops say they pass opium fields almost daily. But their mandate does not include the eradication of the crop, an issue that has been debated but not resolved in the German parliament.

Fighting the drug scourge was the "duty of the Afghan army", said Struck. The job of the foreign troops was to give "logistical support" to their host government and report the locations of poppy fields.

"It is not like we are not doing anything," the minister said. The local troops know that moving aggressively against opium cultivation and production would place them into the firing line of the drug gangs. The security situation is already "uncertain and unstable," said Baierl.

The past week alone had seen several serious incidents: a grenade hit a troop tent that, luckily, was empty, and two explosive devices were found and defused by the side of a road patrolled daily by the foreign troops.

After talks with local troops on Monday, Struck called the situation "threatening" and voiced fears that the insurgents and other enemies would increasingly "launch massive attacks against foreign forces". "We must be very concerned about the security of our soldiers," he said.

Germany has some 2,200 troops serving with the more than 10,000-strong ISAF, working to bolster security in the north and west and in the capital Kabul.

Their mandate expires on October 13 and will have to be renewed by the German parliament. Struck, whose government also faces a September 18 election, has said he plans to increase the size of the German force to 3,000. No matter how the Afghan election goes, the foreign troops expect that their job of bringing security and order to Afghanistan is far from done.

The United Nations said this week that, although drug production was down slightly this year, Afghanistan remains the world's biggest producer of opium, churning out more than 4,000 tons -- 87 percent of global supply.

Press Briefing by Adrian Edwards Spokesperson for the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and by United Nations Agencies in Afghanistan - Kabul – 29 August 2005

• Tripartite Commission meeting

Representatives of the Afghan and Pakistan Governments, as well as UNHCR, are meeting in Kabul today for a review of the repatriation of Afghans living in Pakistan.

As parties to the March 2003 Tripartite Agreement on repatriation, they are expected to discuss issues including the closure of refugee camps in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan.

• UNHCR-facilitated returns

Meanwhile, the number of UNHCR facilitated returns to Afghanistan in 2005 currently stands at around 290,000 individuals. Of these, 250,000 have come from Pakistan and 38,000 from Iran. Since UNHCR’s repatriation operation began in March 2002, nearly four million Afghans have been assisted to return home .

• UNODC Executive Director press conference today

Antonio Maria Costa, the UNODC Executive Director, is in Kabul and will be holding a press conference this evening at 6pm here in this room. He is expected to talk about the latest figures on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan.

• UNODC, Ministry of Counter Narcotics announce photo exhibition

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Ministry of Counter Narcotics is organizing a photography exhibition entitled “Hidden Afghanistan”.

The photographs were taken by Afghan photographer Zalmai, and reflect the situation and suffering of Afghan people involved in cultivation, trafficking and abuse of drugs.

The opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday, August 30 th, at 5:30 pm, at the French Cultural Centre, Esteqlal High School (in front of Zarnigar Park). Journalists are invited to attend.

The exhibition will be presented at the French Cultural Centre from September 1st-15th, and at the Foundation for Culture and Civil Society from September 17th to October 15th.

Reintegration and Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups (DIAG)

Reintegration figures are unchanged from those I provided for you last Thursday. As of the present time 60,154 ex-combatants have entered or completed this final stage of Afghanistan’s DDR process.

The collection of Heavy Weapons continues in the northeast, with 129 heavy weapons having been cantoned since August 18. Between July 31st and August 8 th, fourteen heavy weapons were also collected from the Panjshir.

Various weapons, including AK47s, RPKs and PKs [Russian automatic weapons] were handed this morning to the Ministry of Defence and Afghan National Army, bringing the total handed over to 20,216.

Regarding the ammunition survey, last week we told you of the 671 bombs that had been discovered in Anobah in the Panjshir. ANBP has now transported 638 of these to Jebal Saraj for destruction.

With the Disbanding of Illegal Armed Groups programme, an additional 272 weapons have been verified in the past few days, bringing the total to 9,140 since the programme started in June. 17,767 boxes of ammunition and 24,149 individual pieces have been taken into safekeeping.

The Commander Incentive Programme (CIP) began its activities in mid-2004. So far over 460 commanders from different Afghan Military Units have registered for the Financial Redundancy Package (FRP). As part of the Commander Incentive Package, 140 Generals who were not absorbed into the new Afghan National Army (ANA) have registered.

[The CIP, with the help of an Afghan NGO with significant experience in providing management training, plans to launch a total of 10, month-long training courses in Kabul. Some 200 commanders from different regions of the country will be trained in management, democracy, human rights and gender issues. The first Commanders Incentive Training Programme, launched in July, graduated 20 former commanders in August. The next course began on August 27.]

• 97 trainees to benefit from Civil Service Training Program

The first round of a UNAMA-financed Civil Service Training Programme in Kunduz began last Monday. The 45-day training session involves 97 trainees from four provinces (Kunduz, Baghlan, Badakhshan and Takhar). The training is intended to build the capacity of mid-to-senior-level staff in management, leadership, and project management to support Afghanistan’s rehabilitation.

While we are on the topic, a 12-day World Food Programme-sponsored capacity building workshop in Qalat city for senior Government and Department officials ended on Saturday. It entailed project management and evaluation skills for about 29 persons, including six women.

• NDI holds Code of Conduct conference in Bamyan

The National Democratic Institute held a conference on the Code of Conduct for political parties and independent candidates last Thursday in Bamyan. Fifty political candidates, as well as members of civil society, Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, and UNAMA attended.

The Code of Conduct and Provincial Electoral Commission roles and responsibilities were explained with special emphasis on compliance to ensure effective electoral campaigns. Similar conferences have been held in all regions.

Today’s Guest

Today’s guest is Machteld Bierens de Haan, spokesperson for the Media Commission. She is here to talk about the Afghan elections and the Sponsored Advertisement Programme.

Briefing by Machteld Bierens de Haan, Spokesperson for the Media Commission, on the Sponsored Advertisement Programme

Through the sponsored advertisement programme for the Wolesi Jirga and Provincial Council Elections, candidates have the opportunity to broadcast campaign messages at no cost. The international community pays for this service.

Candidates can choose a provincial radio or television station in their province. A total of 84 stations are participating in the sponsored advertisement programme. The programme was launched at the start of the campaign period and the pick-up has been quick among candidates.

A total of 912 requests have been submitted, of which 55 have been rejected as they are considered to be ‘second requests’ by the same candidate.

Overall 782 messages have been authorized. A total of 75 authorizations were pending as of last night, and176 messages have been broadcast. Furthermore, at the moment 36 broadcasters in 21 provinces have obtained authorizations.

The media commission encourages candidates to approach a station in their province to produce their message. There are still many provinces where participating stations have not produced messages from candidates.

The media commission issued the media monitoring report covering the pre-campaign period. The general conclusion is that there has been no ‘hate speech’ and generally speaking, coverage of candidates in the media has been low.

The media commission encourages journalists to cover the election campaign more vigorously. What candidates are saying and how they are campaigning is news. Journalists should take up the themes and ideas that candidates are raising - as long as the coverage is fair and the ideas relevant to the lives of afghan voters.

Questions & Answers

Question: Could you tell us how much money has been set aside by the international community for sponsoring the advertisement programme?

Machteld Bierens de Haan: The indicative budget is USD $600,000 but it depends on how much use will be made of it.

Question: What kind of response and enthusiasm have you seen from candidates? Don’t you think it’s possibly pointless – that two minutes of airtime is too much for the candidates, that all these messages are going to cancel each other out and it’s going to be very difficult for voters to make any informed decisions based on hearing 400, or 500, or 5,000 different advertisements of two minutes time?

Machteld Bierens de Haan: It is understood that there is an enormous amount of candidates and that there is a limited amount of airtime. So, in this way, to regulate airtime and to give candidates equal access to the mass media during the election campaign period is the only way to allow voters to make a choice before they actually vote.

Question: (translated from Dari) You said that some of the provinces have not come to the commission and have not asked for authorization and yet you have paid them the money. Or if any station does not broadcast the message where does the fund go?

Machteld Bierens de Haan: The money is received after the message has been broadcast.

Six suspected Taliban killed, six policemen wounded in Afghanistan

Kandahar (AFP) - Six suspected Taliban fighters were killed in a clash with police in southern Afghanistan and six policemen were wounded in a separate bomb attack, officials said.

The loyalists of the hardline Taliban regime ousted in late 2001 were killed in a police operation on the highway between the southern cities of Kandahar and Zabul, a frequent target of Taliban attacks, they said on Monday.

"After an hour fighting, six Taliban were killed, the others fled. There are a lot of Taliban attacks on this highway," Zabul province spokesman Gulab Shah Alikhil told AFP.

Also Sunday a remote-controlled bomb exploded near the southern city of Spin Boldak as a border police patrol passed, police said. Six policemen were wounded, Spin Boldak police chief Abdul Wasi said.

Attacks by anti-government rebels, notably Taliban, have increased in the past months in southern and eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan.

They have been linked to attempts to disrupt Afghanistan's first legislative elections in decades to be held on September 18, as well as local conflicts, including between drug traffickers. More than 1,000 people have been killed in such attacks since the beginning of the year.

JAPAN TO PLAY ACTIVE ROLE IN AFGHANISTAN'S RECONSTRUCTION: ENVOY

KABUL, Aug 30 - Japan has renewed its commitment to the ongoing reconstruction of Afghanistan. In an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News, Japanese ambassador to Kabul Mr. Norihiro Okuda said his country would continue to play its active role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Here are the excerpts:

Q: After the Bonn Agreement, Japan hosted the Tokyo conference on Afghanistan's reconstruction. Do you think the international community is honoring its commitment to Afghanistan?

A: Over the last three and half years, the international community has done a lot to fulfill their pledges made during the Tokyo and Bonn conferences; however, we have to continue our commitment to the reconstruction of Afghanistan. As Afghan people are looking forward towards the landmark legislative elections, I believe the international community should continue its cooperation with Afghanistan. The world community has done a good job but it is not enough and they have to continue their support even after the polls.

Q: How much aid has Japan, which has so far played a key role in the rebuilding effort, extended to the war-torn country?

A: Japan has spent about US$900 million during the last four years on the basis of our commitment which was announced both in Tokyo and Donors Conference held in Berlin last year. As far as Afghanistan's reconstruction is concerned, we have concentrated on primary healthcare and primary education besides other projects. In the education sector, we have built over 300 primary and middle schools while we are closely working with the Afghan Health Ministry to reduce the child mortality rate. Japan is also playing vital role in eradication of polio and other curable disease.

Q: What long-term role Tokyo envisages for itself in helping Kabul to stand on its own feet?

A: Not only Japan but other donors should do more in the institution-building in Afghanistan. We have to work together with the Afghan government to establish effective administration systems at the national and provincial level. The task not only involves financial assistance but skilled human resources to achieve the goal. Unless we do that, it is very difficult for Afghanistan to stand on its own feet.

Q: How do you assess the first phase of the DDR process, particularly against the backdrop of reports that many former commanders and Jihadi leaders continue to possess sophisticated weapons?

A: I think the Disarmament, Demobilization and Re-integration (DDR) process has been successful as more than 40,000 heavy and light weapons have been collected besides disarming more than 60,000 soldiers belonging to Afghan Military Forces (AMF). Because of the success of DDR, we are now witnessing the building of Afghanistan's own national army. As the Afghan National Army is passing through different phases of completion, there are a lot of valuable training courses going on for the newly recruited soldiers. I hope the DDR process will get the credit for establishment of Afghan National Army (ANA). But we have to continue the disarmament process of illegal armed groups. Japan is fully committed to support the Afghan government on this count.

Q: Can Afghanistan be cleansed of all manner of arms in the second phase of this process?

A: Nobody knows how many weapons the people have. As far as I know, even common citizens have weapons in their houses. The new law on weapons asks all citizens to register their arms; otherwise all unregistered arms will be confiscated after completion of the process.

I hope Afghan government will be able to fully enforce this law.

Q: As a diplomat, how do you look at Afghanistan's transition towards democracy and how is Japan contributing to the development of a vibrant civil society in this country? A: I am confident about the future of democracy in Afghanistan. The last year's presidential election is witness to the fact as large number of Afghans came out of their houses and used their right to vote. We have provided support during the presidential elections and will back the government of Afghanistan in the parliamentary polls as well. We are also providing financial support for parliamentary elections so that the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) together with UNAMA could successfully complete the process.

Q: Has Japan provided funds for beefing up security and holding parliamentary elections in Afghanistan?

A: We have provided $8 million for the parliamentary elections. Regarding the security, we don't have any Japanese forces here; neither in the ISAF nor in coalition forces. Therefore, we are indirectly supporting the government to ensure security. In this regard our support for DDR is an important part of the international assistance for strengthening security in Afghanistan.

Q: Despite huge assistance pouring into Afghanistan, ordinary people do not see any positive change on the ground. In your opinion, what is fueling this popular feeling?

A: This is perhaps because of the gargantuan nature of the problem. As the country has started its march towards peace after a quarter century of war, it will take time to trickle down the benefits of peace process to the people. At the same time, the international community should do more and the Afghan government and people, too should use the massive international assistance for rebuilding their country.

Q: Does Japan have any plan to establish industries and factories in Afghanistan? A: At the moment, we don't have a concrete programme to establish factories in Afghanistan. However, after visible improvement in the security situation, Japan would encourage its investors and entrepreneurs to invest in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has great potential for private investment especially its agriculture sector can enable the country to earn huge foreign currency by exporting agriculture produce. I am confident the foreign investors would come into Afghanistan as soon as the security situation improves. (Pajhwok Afghan News)

Afghan former minister takes aim at "mafia system"

KABUL (Reuters) - A former Afghan government minister running for parliament in September18 elections says there must be sweeping change to root out corruption in government and in Afghanistan's international aid effort.

Ramazan Bashardost, who quit the cabinet last year over the issue, is tapping into what some analysts see as a groundswell of frustration in Afghanistan over the slow pace of recovery, almost four years after the hardline Taliban were forced from power.

"I am against the mafia system," Bashardost told Reuters on Tuesday in an interview in a Kabul park, where he has set up his campaign headquarters in a tent.

Afghanistan is holding parliamentary and provincial elections on September18, almost a year after President Hamid Karzai won a five-year term. The elections are the culmination of an international plan to restore democracy and stability, drawn up days after the Taliban were ousted.

Bashardost resigned as Karzai's planning minister in December after a row over corruption in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). He wanted to close nearly 2,000 NGOs, saying they were flouting the law and not working for the benefit of the people.

Bashardost, who earned a doctorate in law and political science in France, says the international community risks losing the support of the Afghan people because of corruption, both in government, and among the organisations meant to be helping.

Few escape his ire. "Government members, the NGOs, the big embassy staff, the United Nations staff ... they made a mafia system and you can see the result," he said in French-accented English.

"We received about $12 billion (6.7 billion pounds) since three years, where is the money?" he said, referring to international aid since the overthrow of the Taliban in late 2001. "All Afghan people ask where is the money, who took the money and why? It is a very big issue."

Bashardost also blames the international community for propping up the warlords who battled each other for power during the first half of the 1990s, indirectly paving the way for the Taliban to take over in 1996.

"The Afghan people are against warlords, why the international community, why the Afghan government, supports warlords?" "In the provinces, all governors are former warlords, all chiefs of police, and the Afghan people don't accept this situation."

Bashardost, a thin-faced man with an easy smile, earned public respect when, as a cabinet minister, he declined to accept his official dining allowance, using the money instead to set up a canteen for poor junior staff.

He said the international community had the political, military and economic power, as well as the public support, to implement reform, and it should not miss the opportunity.

"Now some Afghan people say there is an occupation, not a liberation," he said. "There is not change in a good way, there is not a change in our lives." "It is the time to change, a radical change, because the Afghan people ask for this change ... want this change," he said.

"I hope also that Mr Karzai changes his ideas, his opinions, his policies." Bashardost, who does not belong to a political party, appears to be winning the attention of voters in the capital.

As he handed out leaflets outside a girls' high school on Tuesday, many passers-by stopped to shake his hand and have a few words. "He's a good Muslim, a man of the people, you should vote for him," an elderly man in a lambskin hat told a group of people gathered around the politician. "The rest of them don't sound so good. They're all after money," said the man, Khuda Daad.

Manmohan calls on Zahir Shah - [ANI] - Kabul, August 28

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called on “Baba-e-Millat” King Zahir Shah today. The meeting took place in the first floor of the presidential palace in an area referred to as the “Harem Sarai”. Both leaders exchanged pleasantries and the Indian Prime Minister enquired after the 88-year-old monarch’s health and wellbeing.

General Abdul Wali, King’s loyal aide, who followed him into exile and back again, was also present during the meeting. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes, during which there was a brief exchange of views on Indo-Afghan ties with specific reference to the traditional friendship and cultural ties enjoyed by the people of both countries.

The last hereditary monarch of Afghanistan resides in the quiet, heavily guarded royal palace from which he was ousted after a coup in 1973 after ruling the country for over 40 years. His education was French, his manners English, his sartorial tastes Italian.

Everyone speaks of “His Highness The King”, although he is now technically “Father of the Nation”, but Zahir Shah himself prefers another designation. “They call me ‘Baba’, which means grandfather. That is the title I like the most,” he says, in perfect but antique French, reduced to a whisper by ailing lungs.

“There was only one other they called Baba.” He refers to the founder of the Durrani royal house, the 18th century Afghan empire builder Ahmed Shah. History still weighs heavily on the aged shoulders of Ahmed Shah’s descendant: the last of the dynasty recalling the first. In the king’s study there are mementoes of a life of inherited privilege: hushed, humble servants, gold-embossed shotguns in a glass case, walls mounted with hunting trophies.

Outside is very different world: jumpy US bodyguards wearing wraparound sunglasses and armed with Colt Commander assault rifles; a series of once-stunning presidential palaces, now semi-ruins surrounded by barbed wire; a city ravaged by close to 30 years of fighting, policed by foreigners, and beyond it a country returned by civil war to an almost medieval way of life.

A formal, elderly man with a distinguished air and gentle, modest courtesy, Zahir Shah remains a widely revered, but a deeply controversial figure in Afghanistan.

To many, perhaps the majority, his rule now seems a halcyon age; to others, he is a wealthy escaper who spent years in comfortable exile while his country imploded.

Without formal power but presiding over the supreme tribal council or Loya Jirga, he provides the sort of historical weight that President Karzai, installed as the head of transitional government after the successful coalition assault on the Taleban, still lacks.

The king has always lived with death. He was born in the year that the First World War began and, at 18, had ascended to the throne after witnessing the public assassination of his father; at the age of 59, he lost the throne when his cousin ousted him while he was on holiday and declared a republic; at the age of 87, he came home, but his wife, Queen Homaira, died in Rome before she could join him.

When he was still a young monarch, Zahir Shah built a tomb for his father on a hill outside Kabul, a great blue dome clad in white marble, a visible expression of royal power and filial piety. Today the monument is stripped to brick, shot full of bullet holes and covered in graffiti. Zahir Shah brought his dead wife from Italy this year and buried her in the wrecked tomb of his ancestors.

The king has six children, but Zahir Shah has renounced any ambition to restore the monarchy for himself or his heirs. His son, Mir Wais, and his grandson, Mustafa, are reported to be divided over who should take over his role after his death. — ANI

Eight-course meal served at Karzai's banquet - [ANI] - Kabul | August 29, 2005

Chefs at the Kabul Presidential Palace pulled out all stops at the banquet on Sunday evening, hosted by President Hamid Karzai in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

An eight course lavish spread was laid out for the visiting Prime Minister, who is a frugal eater and not really much of a gourmand. There were various forms of kebabs and a variety of chicken dishes, besides curries and sauces that were distinctly Afghan in appearance and taste.

There was rice and naan served as accompaniment. Phirni 'a pudding made of milk and rice paste and ice-cream was offered as dessert. Fruits, which form an essential part of every Afghan meal, were also on offer. Melons, grapes and apricots were greatly appreciated by the Indians. Afghanistan's Minister for Culture and Information, Dr Rahim, said that never before had he seen such a lavish banquet dinner being laid out for any state guest.

Afghans are very sensitive to their culinary tastes and like Indians are very proud of their epicurean traditions. At the banquet, many Afghan politicians could be seen talking about the similarities and differences of Afghan and Indian food.

Daud Hamidi, a young marketing professional, said that hosting Indians is always a pleasure for Afghan families as it is with Afghan politicians. "There is a natural link with Indians" he said.

In fact, so liked are the Indians here, that many Pakistanis often call themselves Indians rather than reveal their nationality. Clearly, Pakistanis are viewed with suspicion even today, though President Karzai claimed at a press conference on Sunday that Afghanistan's relationship with Pakistan whom he called "our brothers" was "thriving".

Yet, there isn't a single store or restaurant in the capital that boasts of being Pakistani. Nobody watches Pakistani films or tv channels.

Afghan women love Shahrukh, Kareena - [ANI] - Kabul, August 28

They are already icons in India, and it does come as a surprise that they rule the hearts of Afghans — be it women or cab drivers — as well. If it was Raj Kapoor and Nargis Dutt in the former Soviet Union, the cinematic flavour of the season in Afghanistan are Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan.

ANI spoke to two Afghan journalists — Sukhriya Kohistan of the Kabul Times and Makiah Muneer of Aajwakh, both of whom looked resplendent in Rajasthani dupattas, which they said were brought from Southhall in London.

Both Kohistan and Muneer said they loved the Indian markets in Southhall, especially the “salwar kameez”, but lamented that it was their long-cherished desire to get these products directly from India.

Asked what was their favourite Indian television serial, and they said it was most definitely — the very popular Kaun Banega Crorepati -2 featuring cine legend Amitabh Bachchan as the anchor. They also said that now most Afghanis were getting comfortable speaking and communicating in Urdu and loved to watch Hindi films.

In fact, they said, that their view of India was guided by what they saw in the Indian movies and television serials, but now they were realising that there was much more to India than what they saw on screen.

Both Sukhriya and Makiah said that they would like this landmark visit of the Indian Prime Minister, the first in 29 years, to be the harbinger of greater bilateral cooperation in many areas, especially in the field of journalism.

Asked about reports of the changing face of Afghanistan, they said there were changes, but these would take time to bloom fully. Democracy, they said, was returning to Afghanistan after years of radical Islamic rule under the Taliban regime, but very very slowly.

Democracy as understood in India was still a distant dream for most Afghanis, they said. While things were improving in the city, the interiors of Afghanistan still retained their traditions and conservative outlook on life.

Travelling on public transport was still not safe for women, but they said they saw a light at the end of the dark tunnel with the Indian Prime Minister’s visit. India, they said was an old friend of Afghanistan, and it was hoped that these traditional ties would facilitate modern development and greater freedoms.

[Disclaimer: The content of this news bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view or policy of the Afghan Government, unless specifically stated as such. The collection of articles and commentaries from Afghan and international news sources is provided for informational purposes, and accuracy of the news is the responsibility of the original source.]