Afghan parliament opening session on Dec. 19, 2005. Photo by REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

In this bulletin:

• New Afghan Parliament Sworn In
• Afghanistan opens first parliament in three decades
• NATO, EU Hail Afghan Parliamentary Session
• Afghanistan convenes new era
• Cheney Looks on As Afghan Parliament Meets
• Three policemen killed ahead of historic Afghan parliament opening
• Torture in Afghan 'secret prison'
• Nato's Afghanistan troop dilemma
• ON DAWN OF NEW AFGHAN PARLIAMENT, UNICEF SAYS CHILDREN MUST COME FIRST
• Afghanistan: Kabul conference affirms importance of addressing past Human Rights violations comprehensively and practically
• France Will Bolster NATO Troops in Afghanistan
• Ted Turner urges nuclear disarmament on visit to Pakistan
• International women’s forum inducts female Afghan Army officer

New Afghan Parliament Sworn In

19 December 2005 (RFE/RL) -- The lower house of Afghanistan's parliament was sworn in today, marking the first time an elected legislature has been convened in the country in more than 30 years, RFE/RL's Afghan Service reported.

The inauguration of the assembly was the culmination of a UN-backed plan to bring democracy drawn up after U.S.-led forces overthrew the former Taliban regime in 2001.

Former monarch Mohammad Zaher Shah addressed the inaugural session. "After long years of war and misfortunes, the Afghan people are gathering once again," said Zaher Shah, whose ouster in 1973 by a cousin marked the start of three painful decades of Afghan history. "The inauguration of this national assembly is the determination and demand of the Afghan people. I want from you -- the representatives of the Afghan people -- unity, national solidarity, and the creation of a prosperous Afghanistan. Do your best."

Lawmakers were sworn in by President Hamid Karzai, and the oath-taking ceremony was conducted in the country's official Dari and Pashto languages. "I swear that I will follow the sacred Islamic religion," the oath ran. "I will uphold the constitution and other laws...and I will do my best to fulfill my responsibilities that the people have entrusted me with...and I will fulfill these responsibilities and do it with faith."

After the delegates were sworn in, Karzai called the gathering a display of national unity. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was among guests attending the opening of parliament, which was held amid tight security.

The parliament members were elected in polls held 18 September, the first since 1969. A new generation of politicians were elected alongside communists, warlords, and former Taliban commanders. Twenty-five percent of the seats in the People's Council (Wolesi Jirga), or lower house of parliament, were reserved for women. One of parliament's first jobs will be to consider Karzai's cabinet for approval. (with material from AP/dpa/Reuters)

Afghanistan opens first parliament in three decades

Kabul (AFP) - Afghanistan has opened its first session of parliament after three decades of occupation and war with an emotional ceremony attended by US Vice President Dick Cheney.

The sitting of the first parliament since 1973 was crucial to securing the future of the war-ravaged country, President Hamid Karzai said on Monday after swearing in the 351 new parliamentarians, some of them former warlords accused of rights abuses.

"Let me tell the world that Afghanistan is rising from the ashes of invasion and will live forever," Karzai said, his voice breaking with emotion. His speech prompted applause and tears from the new MPs, most of whom wore the traditional shalwar kamiz and turbans for the historic occasion.

The opening of the parliament is the final step of a transition to democracy launched after the extremist Taliban regime, which imposed harsh Islamic law on war-weary Afghanistan, was toppled in a US-led invasion four years ago.

Other milestones along the way have included the adoption of a new constitution in 2003 and the election that confirmed interim leader Karzai as president in October 2004.

The ceremony took place under tight security because of fears of attacks by loyalists of the Taliban now waging a deadly insurgency against the US-backed government that has killed about 1,500 people this year.

Karzai praised the "great leaders" of the resistance to the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation for helping Afghanistan to its "victorious independence". Many of these mujahedin fighters were deeply involved in a bloody civil war that followed the occupation, with some -- among them new parliamentarians -- accused of war crimes during the conflict.

The parliament also includes a handful of former members of the Taliban, which took power in 1996 before being toppled after they did not surrender Osama bin Laden following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The presence of figures from Afghanistan's bitter past was condemned by firebrand MP Malalai Joya. "I see the future of this parliament as very dark because of the presence of warlords, druglords and those whose hands are stained with the blood of the people," she told reporters after the ceremony.

One of the former commanders accused of rights abuses, Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, dismissed such criticism saying: "The parliament represents the reality of Afghanistan." "The subject of warlords belongs to Afghanistan's past," said another MP and one-time presidential contender, Yunus Qanooni.

While warlords or people linked to them are estimated to make-up about two-thirds of the new legislature, according to analysts, there are several progressives, including many of the women who had 25 percent of seats reserved for them in the House of Representatives.

"We could work with them if they make a strong commitment to work for the benefit of the country," said MP Shukria Barakzai. "It was a great day. I was very moved because I was brought up in wartime, so seeing the first session of parliament is a good thing," she said.

Karzai urged the new MPs to put aside their differences. "Difference of opinion is good as long as long as it's in the interest of the country," he said. "But you (MPs) should consider the national interest as of your priority."

The parliament was adjourned until Tuesday. Hours before the session began, three policemen were killed and one reported missing in an attack by Taliban fighters in volatile eastern Kunar province, highlighting the security concerns bedevilling the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops hunting down insurgents.

NATO, EU Hail Afghan Parliamentary Session - (AFP)

19 December 2005 -- NATO and the European Union have hailed today's inaugural session of the Afghan parliament, the first meeting of an elected legislature in more than 30 years of war and conflict in Afghanistan.


NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in a statement said the session today in Kabul of the People's Assembly, the lower house of the National Assembly, was "a visible sign that the democratic process is taking hold" in Afghanistan.
 
De Hoop Scheffer stressed that NATO peacekeepers will continue to play a "key role" in that respect as the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) expands its operations in the months ahead throughout the country.
 
The European Union meanwhile called the parliamentary session a "historic occasion." Both NATO and the EU pledged to continue efforts to help Afghanistan meet its aspirations of peace, security, and democracy.

The inauguration of the assembly was the culmination of a UN-backed plan to bring democracy drawn up after U.S.-led forces overthrew the former Taliban regime in 2001.

Afghanistan convenes new era

San Francisco Chronicle - 12/19/2005 By Declan Walsh - Parliament's success depends on goodwill of divergent factions

Kabul - Frantic last-minute preparations were under way around Afghanistan's parliament building last week. Officials installed state-of-the-art computers. Workmen hung paintings. And out in the garden, a team of de-miners uprooted flower beds. "We are checking for bombs," said a technician in a blast-proof vest while operating a metal detector. "Just in case there's an unexploded one."

The nation's first elected national assembly in more than 30 years met for the first time today for what U.S. officials hope is the final seal on a democratic transition that started with the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

But like most recovery efforts in Afghanistan these days, the challenges are daunting. The turbulent past echoes around the parliament building, which was reduced to rubble during the 1990s civil war. Some 1,600 workers toiled for eight months to restore its original luster in a $3.5 million project funded by the Afghan government and international donors.

A sign on the front door says: "Do not enter with a weapon." On Friday, a suicide bomber drove into a convoy of NATO vehicles nearby, killing himself and wounding two civilians. The Taliban claimed responsibility, and security was tightened for today's inauguration, which was to be attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.

In recent months, Taliban attacks have surged, and urban Afghans -- many of whom are unemployed and live in miserable conditions -- are increasingly disgruntled about the future. But many hope the new parliament will usher in an era of stability.

A rich cast of characters will fill the 249-seat Wolesi Jirga, the lower house that was elected last September. Voters also elected provincial councils that chose two-thirds of the 102-seat upper house, the Meshrano Jirga. For some legislators, just sitting together will be a major feat.

Grizzled warlords will sit near fresh-faced young women. Former guerrilla commanders and retired army generals from the 1980s conflict against the Soviet-controlled Afghan government also will sit side-by-side. And to reach their seats, some may have to squeeze past a retired Taliban fighter or a recently returned Afghan American.

At a training session for parliamentarians in a Kabul hotel last week, Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi of the restive Zabul province shook hands and cracked jokes with fellow legislator Shukria Barakzai.

"She is my new friend," smiled Rocketi, a bearlike former Taliban fighter named for his skill at aiming rockets. "If people want to change their ideas, we should give them a chance," said Barakzai, one of 68 women elected under a gender quota. "But they must remember the past is the past."

Human Rights Watch estimates that 60 percent of the new legislators have links to warlords. The New York-based rights group singled out Abdul Rasul Sayyaf, a powerful militia commander whose guns ravaged Kabul residents in the 1990s, and Mohammed Fahim, a former defense minister, who has been accused of war crimes.

"There is widespread cynicism about this parliament. How can people trust a government which allows warlords and notorious human rights abusers into power?" said Sam Zarifi, who heads the Asia division for Human Rights Watch.

A European diplomat, who asked not to be named, reckoned that about 20 legislators still have active private militias and that at least 20 more have been involved in drug smuggling. Afghanistan produces 87 percent of the world's heroin, according to a recent U.N. study. But the parliament also has many political newcomers who say they are determined to make a difference -- including one from Southern California.

"I'm an optimist," said Daoud Sultanzoi, who two months ago left his beachfront house in Malibu to represent Ghazni province in the new parliament. Sultanzoi, a former pilot for the national airline Ariana, sought political asylum 25 years ago after diverting a DC-10 jet bound for Iran to Germany. He later moved to California, earning $22,000 a month as a pilot for United Airlines.

"I could be considered crazy by some, but I thought this was an important moment in our national life," Sultanzoi said. "I didn't want to be a bystander. ... I sense there is a real desire for change."

The prospect of sitting beside men notorious for some of Afghanistan's worst bloodshed was "stomach-churning," Sultanzoi said. But he said his more immediate concern was Afghanistan's crumbling health system. "In my district, two women die every week during childbirth. To me, that is unforgivable."

Some analysts say it's anyone's guess whether such a diverse group -- an estimated 20 percent is illiterate -- will be able to work together to pass legislation. A fractious parliament might suit Karzai, who still wields most political power. But a weak assembly, they say, could also damage his reform credentials and breed widespread disillusionment about long-promised reconstruction.

Moreover, there are still no political parties, raising fears that voting blocs will form along corrosive tribal, ethnic and religious lines. All members of the lower house were elected as individuals, not party members.

A possible scenario, some analysts say, pits Pashtuns -- the nation's traditional rulers -- against a coalition of minority tribes. Rifts may also emerge over plans for a South-African-style truth and reconciliation commission. One of the first issues the new parliament might have to confront is whether such human rights abusers will be brought to justice.

"A war criminal is someone who killed innocent people," said Haji Al-Mas, a former commander in Kabul. "But those who fought against terrorism and the Taliban are not warlords. They are holy warriors."

Another concern is corruption. The parliament's first task will be to elect a speaker -- a race that has already been marred by allegations of vote-buying at up to $600 per vote.

Yet many legislators appealed to critics not to write them off prematurely. "Don't forget that this is not just a collection of warlords, drug lords and smugglers," Barakzai said. "We have good people as well."

Cheney Looks on As Afghan Parliament Meets

Kabul (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney celebrated a milestone in Afghanistan's transition to democracy Monday, watching from the front row while its national assembly took its first oath of office. Cheney did not speak at the ceremony but signified the event's importance to the White House simply by attending.

The vice president's somewhat chaotic arrival in Kabul marked the second day he had brought attention to important democratic events that have stemmed from the Bush administration's hawkish foreign policy.

On Sunday, Cheney made an unannounced trip to Iraq to highlight last week's parliamentary elections there. In Kabul, he attended the inauguration of the politically diverse 249-seat assembly, Afghanistan's first elected parliament in more than three decades.

"The victory of freedom in Afghanistan as well as Iraq will be an inspiration to democratic reformers in other lands," Bush said in a speech to troops at Bagram Air Base.

At the parliament, Cheney and his wife, Lynne, sat in the front row to the left of a speakers' podium. Along with two other U.S. representatives — Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann and coalition commander Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry — Cheney listened through an earpiece to an English translation of the speakers' remarks.

After the ceremony Cheney signed a guest book, writing, "It's a privilege to be present on this historic day for the people of Afghanistan." Cheney then had lunch with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at his presidential palace. The vice president was greeted by two dozen Afghan soldiers standing at attention as he and Karzai shook hands for the cameras. Asked what the day meant, Karzai said: "It means progress. It means achievement. It means togetherness."

Later Monday, Cheney addressed hundreds of U.S. troops at Bagram and got a briefing from Eikenberry. The vice president is on a five-day tour aimed at strengthening support for the war on terror. He also planned to visit key allies in Oman, Pakistan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

The Cheneys' seven-hour visit to Afghanistan began when their unmarked C-17 cargo plane landed at Bagram Air Base. They then flew by helicopter to a spot outside the parliament building. The chopper stirred up a massive dust storm, but the Cheneys were shielded when they ducked into a black sport-utility vehicle.

Security forces surrounded the Cheneys' vehicle and walked along as it moved with their hands on the side of the vehicle. A gun-toting Afghan soldier dressed in fatigues pushed the rest of Cheney's entourage against an outside wall until the gates to the parliament building closed behind them.

Afghan security forces insisted on searching all the bags carried by members of Cheney's staff and the press who were left outside. Secret Service agents objected, saying they had already been checked. A White House advance staffer already on site came out and angrily demanded that the Afghans admit military aides carrying the briefcase that contains the U.S. government's nuclear weapon codes. "I'm telling you to open the gates now," the White House staffer said. "These are the vice president's military aides."

The Afghans allowed Cheney's military aides through but insisted on doing complete body searches of the rest of his traveling party. Men were searched outside in a dusty courtyard, while women were taken in a small room and searched completely by hand by Afghan women.

Three policemen killed ahead of historic Afghan parliament opening

Jalalabad (AFP) - Three policemen were killed and one was missing following an attack by Taliban insurgents hours ahead of the historic first session of Afghanistan's parliament after decades of war, an official said.

The insurgents attacked a police post in insurgency-hit eastern Kunar province early Monday, provincial governor Asaddullah Wafa told AFP on Monday.

The rebels, whom Wafa said were from the Taliban movement ousted in a US-led invasion in 2001, had control of the post for hours. At dawn they set it ablaze before fleeing, he said.

"I confirm that three police were killed, one is missing and the enemies set fire to the post before they fled," Wafa said. The attack came hours before a ceremony in the capital to swear in Afghanistan's first parliament since 1973.

Thousands of police and troops secured the parliament building in west Kabul and helicopters flew overhead amid concern of attacks by Taliban and other militants.

US Vice President Dick Cheney headed the guest list at the event.The United States is leading a coalition of about 20,000 troops, most of them American, in Afghanistan to hunt down militants from the Taliban and other radical Islamic outfits.

An insurgency by the Taliban and other groups has killed more than 1,500 people this year, casting a shadow over the war-scarred country's attempts to install democracy, with the sitting of parliament a key step in the process.

Torture in Afghan 'secret prison' – BBC

A global human rights watchdog says the United States operated a secret prison in Afghanistan as recently as last year where detainees were tortured. US-based Human Rights Watch says it has credible reports that eight people now being held at Guantanamo Bay were tortured at the prison.

The organisation says the accusation is based on accounts given to its lawyers. The US has been criticised by human rights groups over its treatment of detainees from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Human Rights Watch group says the detainees were kept in total darkness and mistreated. "They were chained to walls, deprived of food and drinking water, and kept in total darkness with loud rap, heavy metal music, or other sounds blared for weeks a time," the organisation said.

"Some detainees said they were shackled in a manner that made it impossible to lie down or sleep, with restraints that caused their hands and wrists to swell up or bruise." Human Rights Watch says the accounts warrant an official investigation.

The US has neither confirmed nor denied reports of secret CIA-run prisons in other countries, but says none of its interrogation techniques amounts to torture.

"I can say that we, in fact, are consistent with the commitments of the United States that we don't engage in torture and we don't," US Vice President Dick Cheney said in an interview on ABC News.

About 500 prisoners remain at Guantanamo, many of them captured in Afghanistan. Some have been held for nearly four years without charge. United Nations officials have been trying to visit the camp since it opened in 2002 but has only been offered restricted access, which it has rejected.

Nato's Afghanistan troop dilemma - By Ahmed Rashid

Guest journalist and writer Ahmed Rashid reflects in his latest column for the BBC News website on Nato's dilemma over troop expansion in Afghanistan.

Nato's very public announcement on 8 December that it will send an additional 6,000 troops to Taleban-infested southern Afghanistan next spring and Washington's more cryptic remarks that it wants to withdraw 4,000 troops from the same region at the same time are being read very differently by all those affected.

Most Afghans and many diplomats in the capital, Kabul, see it as the start of a US withdrawal from Afghanistan, no matter how profusely Washington's spin machine insists that "the US will never abandon the Afghans".

Senior aides to President Hamid Karzai say any US withdrawal, no matter how it is camouflaged, will be disastrous for people's morale and remind them of the US withdrawal from Afghan affairs after the Soviet pullout in 1989.

The Taleban and al-Qaeda would like to see a political and military vacuum develop as US troops begin to depart. For the first time, the Taleban have begun to target Nato peace-keeping forces in Kabul and Kandahar with suicide attacks. It is a deliberate strategic move to try to frighten off European countries from becoming part of future Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's six neighbours, all of whom are still clandestinely backing various warlord proxies inside the country, are likely to see the shift in forces as a weakening of Western resolve and an opportunity to push forward their proxies - just in case the Kabul government shows signs of weakness.

The administration of President George W Bush sees it as an opportunity to redeem popularity at home by bringing the boys home from a foreign war, even though the militants are far from defeated.

Shifting the burden to the Europeans is also a chance for the US State Department to try to recharge the Atlantic alliance after all the unilateral and isolationist moves undertaken by the first Bush administration.

For those idealistic and ambitious European countries who want to see Nato develop as the most powerful global alliance, which can take on the problems of the world and help solve them without necessarily depending on the Americans, Afghanistan presents a golden opportunity to test Nato's resolve.

Meanwhile smaller European countries who are appalled at human rights violations and the treatment of prisoners by the Bush administration, see the Nato deployment as a result of excessive bullying by a US administration that wants them to take on an ever larger share of what is still a US-led war on terrorism.

The Nato deployment, announced with much fanfare in Brussels after a meeting of the 26 foreign ministers of Nato countries, came after months of agonising and countries refusing to take part in the new deployment. "When the expansion takes place next year, it will mean Nato is operating in three-quarters of Afghanistan," said Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

At present, while the 19,000 strong US-led coalition is responsible for waging war on the Taleban, the estimated 9,000 strong Nato contingent is carrying out peace-keeping duties in Kabul.

Nato forces have taken over from some American-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) - with Germany deploying in the north-east, Britain in the north and Italy and Spain taking over in the west.

In late November, senior White House officials in Washington confirmed to me that the administration would be withdrawing some 4,000 troops from southern Afghanistan next spring, once a Nato-led force was in place.

US officials refuse to use the term withdrawal, insisting it is merely a troops "adjustment" or "rotation". In the past few months, Washington has leaned hard on Nato to come up with a commitment so it can start planning its troop withdrawal.

However Nato has still not answered the critical questions, which will be paramount in the minds of Afghans next spring as well as those remaining US forces. Are Nato troops really prepared to move beyond peace-keeping duties and take on a combat role in a region which is the hotbed of Taleban activity?

Is Nato going to be more than just the proverbial cleaner who arrives after the battle to clear up the mess and keep the peace in a failed state? It is sad but true that despite the deployment of 9,000 troops, Nato has still not developed a positive image of itself amongst Afghans outside Kabul.

Every single deployment of Nato troops or aircraft since 2003 has led to months of wrangling between European capitals and Nato's high command, played out very publicly in the press. Even in their peace-keeping role, each Nato country's forces have a list of what they will do and not do - national caveats - that has paralysed Nato commanders in Kabul. Spanish troops based in the west will rarely leave their compound. German troops in the north will allow no other Nato troops to fly in their helicopters.

Every nation has a different concept of running a PRT which makes any kind of unified reconstruction programme in the provinces next to impossible. Moreover Nato troops seem far more concerned about their own security than the security of the Afghans they are supposed to be protecting.

Yet what everyone tends to forget is that, unlike in Iraq and despite widespread mistakes made by American forces resulting in the deaths of many innocent civilians, the majority of Afghans still consider Western forces as a guarantor that the international community will continue to provide security and help fund reconstruction of the country. In other words Western forces are still welcome - as long as they are really useful and are willing to both fight and help in reconstruction.

Take this present deployment. For the past six months Britain has had tremendous difficulties in getting support from other Nato countries to join it in deploying to six provinces in the south and take over the American base in Kandahar.

Britain and Canada are committed to deploy an estimated 4,000 troops, but they needed another 2,000 more - specifically soldiers who will perform a peace-keeping role in the shape of PRTs, but also would not hesitate to fight if called upon to do so.

Major European countries such as France, Spain and Germany have refused to take part in operations that could involve fighting the Taleban. The Netherlands, which had promised 1,000 troops, hesitated for months before agreeing to the deployment, while it took weeks of cajoling to get Denmark and Sweden to come up with a few hundred extra troops.

Even within the British government there has been a hot debate. Some 3,000 British troops will deploy in the south, including 2,000 in Helmand province alone. While 1,000 troops will deploy as a massive PRT to do reconstruction and help in opium eradication, the other 1,000 will deploy as a combat force ready to take on the Taleban.

Helmand is the heart of Taleban resistance and opium production, but like the US army the British military is balking at demands from the British Foreign Office and Prime Minister Tony Blair to help stem the virulent narcotics trade, which is helping fund terrorist operations.

It is still not clear what mandate British troops will have to deal with interdicting drugs convoys, making arrests or getting involved with eradication of the poppy crop on the ground. However there is no point in the British having a mandate in dealing with the drugs trade, if other Nato troops refuse to do the same job. Even the Americans, who have been pushing Britain to get involved in dealing with drugs, do not allow their troops to get involved in either interdiction or eradication.

So why should Britain stick its neck out and do something that neither the Americans nor other Nato countries are willing to do? Making war and building peace in Afghanistan will be a long process and any weakness shown by the Western alliance in its commitment will only bolster the enemy.

ON DAWN OF NEW AFGHAN PARLIAMENT, UNICEF SAYS CHILDREN MUST COME FIRST

Parliamentarians urged to prioritise investments and polices that back children and mothers.

Kabul, 16 December 2005– With an historic new Parliament scheduled to be inaugurated in Afghanistan on Monday 19 December, UNICEF is urging its newly elected members to ensure that children are top of the new assembly’s agenda.

Afghanistan has some of the worst development indicators in the world, and many Afghans are looking to the new National Assembly and provincial councils to focus on issues such as education, health care and economic regeneration.

In a letter to the 249 members of the Wolesi Jirga (the Lower House of the National Assembly), UNICEF Representative to Afghanistan, Bernt Aasen, highlighted the challenges facing the nation and appealed for their support to meet the needs of children. “ More than 2 million primary school-age children are not enrolled in classes, of which more than half are girls, more than 600 children under the age of five die every day in Afghanistan because of preventable illnesses and at least 50 women die every day in Afghanistan because of complications in pregnancy and childbirth,” said Aasen.

Asking the new parliamentarians to make the development of women and children a priority for their term in office, Aasen added “UNICEF believes that sustained investments in core health and education programmes, focused on women and children at national, provincial and community level, will have a lasting impact on the future growth and development of Afghanistan. Healthy and educated children make a productive contribution to the prosperity of the country when they reach adulthood. Literate women enjoy a safer motherhood. These are amongst the core ingredients of a successful nation.”

The members of the lower house have also received specially prepared provincial fact sheets, compiled by UNICEF with support from UNFPA. The fact sheets identify specific challenges facing women and children in each of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, and recommend key policy actions to improve their status – including recruitment of more female teachers, promotion of integrated health care at community level and support for vulnerable families to reduce the incidence of child labour.

Recent estimates by UNICEF indicate that Afghanistan is 29 per cent worse off than the mean of the world’s least developed countries, while under-5 mortality rates are 40 times worse than the average of industrialized countries. While notable progress has been made over the last four years in rebuilding health and education programmes, UNICEF hopes that the new Parliament will redouble its efforts to give every child the best start in life, and every woman the best chance of a safe motherhood.

In January, UNICEF will begin a new three year programme of cooperation with the Government of Afghanistan, aimed at tackling the high rates of child and maternal mortality, and low enrolment of girls in school.

Afghanistan: Kabul conference affirms importance of addressing past Human Rights violations comprehensively and practically - Source: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 16 Dec 2005

A conference on truth-seeking and reconciliation, held in Kabul during the past three days, has concluded with a statement from participants affirming the importance of addressing the legacy of past human rights violations in a comprehensive and practical fashion.

The conference, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), in cooperation with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), was attended by more than 120 participants from all regions of Afghanistan, and included representatives of government, civil society, academia and the religious community. Representatives of the international community, the International Center for Transitional Justice and international experts in truth-seeking and reconciliation also attended the conference. The conference, held with support from the Netherlands, was preceded by a series of regional consultations on transitional justice in all provinces.

The conference was the first public forum to discuss the issue of transitional justice – how to deal with human rights violations of the past – in Afghanistan. "The holding of the conference itself is a major achievement", Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Mehr Khan Williams said in her statement to the meeting. "It has allowed Afghans from across the country to express their anguish and to demand accountability for past crimes".

The main focus of the conference was to discuss whether Afghanistan needs a mechanism for truth-seeking and reconciliation. Many participants stressed their desire for justice measures, including prosecutions and removal of human rights abusers from positions of power. "Peace without justice will not be sustainable in Afghanistan," said Dr. Sima Simar, Chairperson of AIHRC. "The people of Afghanistan are tired of waiting for justice. The action plan now needs to be implemented as soon as possible," she concluded. There was broad support from the participants for truth-seeking as part of a comprehensive approach to addressing crimes of the past. Many participants stressed the need to acknowledge victims and to ensure their involvement, as well as many others in local communities, in the development of any transitional justice activities that are undertaken. In addition, participants welcomed the support of the international community and requested its continuing commitment.

The conference took place following the adoption of an Action Plan on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation in Afghanistan by the Cabinet on 12 December 2005, and marked the start of its implementation. "This conference means that the work is under way," Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Afghan Foreign Minister told the meeting.

The approval of the Action Plan was considered a significant achievement, indicating an important political commitment to implement measures for transitional justice. The Action Plan lays out a multi-pronged approach, including measures to publicly acknowledge and commemorate the plight of victims; measures for institutional reform and the vetting of human rights abusers from positions of power; exploring options for truth-seeking and reconciliation; and to strengthen a national capacity for criminal justice while reaffirming a commitment that no amnesty will be granted for gross violations of human rights.

"The achievement of transitional justice must help to strengthen peace and stability in our country. The action plan represents an appropriate procedure in this regard", Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in his message to the conference.

France Will Bolster NATO Troops in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 18 (Reuters) - France will send several hundred more troops to Afghanistan to reinforce security in Kabul, the capital, when NATO expands operations in the country next year, the French defense minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, said here on Sunday.

NATO took over the International Security Assistance Force peacekeepers in 2003, two years after United States-led forces overthrew the Taliban government. Earlier this month, NATO agreed to expand its presence in 2006, but still left the most dangerous counterinsurgency work to the American-led coalition.

Ms. Alliot-Marie, in a speech to French troops at the Kabul airport, said France would also increase the training it is providing for officers in the Afghan Army. "Not only will France stay in Afghanistan, it will also reinforce its presence within the framework of regionalization," she said.

France plans to send about 450 more soldiers for the Kabul mission by mid-2006, she said. France currently has 600 troops with the peacekeeping forces. Another 200 special forces troops are deployed in the south, where Taliban guerrillas and their allies are most active.

Ms. Alliot-Marie said Afghanistan needed long-term diplomatic, economic and military support to combat inequality between various parts of the country, which has encouraged militancy.

The peacekeeping force plans to increase its strength to about 15,000 troops next year from about 9,000 troops now, and to extend its presence into the troubled south, where the separate American-led international force is pursuing the Taliban.

Britain is scheduled to take command of the peacekeeping force next year and to send troops to the south alongside Canadian and Dutch forces. Ms. Alliot-Marie said France would alternate command in Kabul with Turkey and probably Italy.

She said that security in Afghanistan had improved overall but that there had been a deterioration of the situation in Kabul and an increase in insurgent attacks using roadside bombs and in suicide bombers.

She also said that the inauguration on Monday of Afghanistan's first Parliament since the 1970's would be an essential step toward enabling Afghanistan to assume eventual responsibility for its own security.

Ted Turner urges nuclear disarmament on visit to Pakistan

Islamabad (AFP) - US media mogul and billionaire philanthropist Ted Turner urged India and Pakistan to give up their nuclear arsenals, as he visited areas of Pakistan devastated by a massive earthquake in October.

"We are very concerned about the nuclear arsenals of both India and Pakistan and we would love see the world without nuclear weapons at all," Turner told reporters in Islamabad after visiting the quake-hit zones on Sunday.

"The Indian sub-continent would be a lot safer without nuclear weapons," the founder of Cable News Network (CNN) television said, adding that he would urge all nuclear-armed states to get rid of their arsenals.

Turner, who created the UN Foundation in 1998 with a one-billion-dollar donation to support UN causes, said he would raise the nuclear issue in talks with Pakistani officials. He said the United States and Russia needed to take the lead in nuclear disarmament because they possessed more than 95 percent of all nuclear weapons in the world. But he added: "Any serious disarmament would have to include all nuclear powers."

Turner, along with members of the foundations board of directors, arrived in Pakistan this weekend for a three-day visit to areas ravaged by the October 8 quake, which killed more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and 1,300 in India. "The touring of earthquake-stricken areas was very saddening but on the other hands it was very inspirational too," Turner said, pledging his foundation's continued assistance.

The US philanthropist said he was touched by the "resilience, courage and strength of the Pakistani people", whom he saw clearing the wreckage of their destroyed homes.

The UN Foundation has so far contributed nearly one million dollars into the UN flash appeal for the South Asia earthquake, specifically earmarked for building temporary housing and strengthening aid coordination efforts. Turner said the UN Foundation would also gear up its efforts to fight polio in Pakistan, saying: "We will eradicate it completely."

International women’s forum inducts female Afghan Army officer - Blackanthem.com, KABUL, Afghanistan, December 18, 2005

Khatol Mohammadzai, a senior officer in the Afghan National Army, recently became the first Afghan woman inducted into the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame in Washington D.C., where she was recognized for the impact she has made on the lives of Afghan women and men.

"Being invited to America is something I never thought would happen. I broke all the chains women have faced in my country to be here today. I am honored to be here with other strong women from all over the world," Mohammadzai said.

The IWF, founded in 1982, is a private, non-profit organization comprised of 61 affiliates in more than 20 countries throughout the world. Membership is by invitation only and includes some of the most powerful and influential women in the world, including Dalia Grybauskaite, European Union commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget; Marsha Evans, American Red Cross president and CEO; U.S Congresswoman Maxine Waters; and U.S. Supreme Court Judge Sandra Day O’Connor.

Mohammadzai , Afghanistan ’s only female paratrooper, serves as the deputy head of the Afghan Ministry of Defense Education Department.

She was only 16 when she took her first leap for Afghan women by parachuting from an airplane. In 1982, after her husband’s death, she quit her studies in law at the University of Kabul and joined the army, eventually leading to a career spanning two decades.

Prior to the Taliban’s reign, Afghanistan ’s army employed both men and women in a variety of specialty skills. Mohammadzai, the ANA’s only female parachute instructor, was trained by the Russians. With more than 570 parachute jumps from helicopters and airplanes, plus static and free-fall jumps, she ranks among the best of the ANA in this dangerous skill.

She has always championed the underprivileged, taking every chance to bring light to their situation. During a recent celebration marking Afghanistan ’s New Year’s Day, Mohammadzai parachuted into the event carrying a sign that read: "We want education, employment and salaries for widows, orphans and handicapped people." It was her first parachute jump in more than six years and she was greeted by cheering crowds that showered her with flowers. Under the rule of the Taliban, when many Afghan officers escaped to neighboring countries, Mohammadzai stayed and continued to serve her countrymen and women. The female paratrooper was forced to give up her passion and earned a living working from home through approved women’s tasks such as sewing, weaving scarves and making mattresses.
 

She had to hide her uniform under the floorboards of her living room, but that didn’t stop her from trying to educate women. With her mother acting as a lookout, she taught local women how to read and write by candlelight in her home. She knew she was putting her life at risk by defying the Taliban, but she didn’t care, she said.

"Education is important. Never stop learning and educating yourselves. You can become the future doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, technicians, policewomen and soldiers of a new Afghanistan . If I can do it – you can do it too," she explained.

After the Taliban were removed from power, she very promptly dug up her uniform, dusted it off and "reported for duty." Mohammadzai explained that she risks her life to serve as an example for Afghan women. "I serve my country because there is nothing more honorable than serving your country.

"I want a better future for my sons, for my sisters, for their children, and for my mother. I do not like to be told I cannot do something. It makes me mad and makes me want to do it more," she said.

At the sold-out black tie gala in Washington D.C. , Mohammadzai was inducted into the IWF Hall of Fame alongside Supreme Court Justice Judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

At the end of a five-minute video tribute in her honor, the crowd erupted when Mohammadzai, who is never seen without her uniformed chest full of medals, climbed the stairway and walked to the stage wearing traditional Afghan dress.

"Afghanistan has a rich history of art, agriculture, music, education. Afghan people are strong and resilient. They have endured enough in one lifetime. It is time for peace," she said. Source :  COMBINED FORCES COMMAND – AFGHANISTAN - COALITION PRESS INFORMATION CENTER KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

[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.]