Afghanistan appoints first ever female governor for central Bamiyan province - Pajhwok Afghan News 03/02/2005 By Ahmed Khalid Mowahid

BAMIYAN – Habiba Surabi, the former minster of women's affairs was appointed the governor of the central province of Bamiyan, March 2nd after she was nominated by the interior ministry of Kabul. Forty-eight year old Surabi will take on her responsibilities as the first woman to be appointed as a governor in the history of Afghanistan.

Earlier, when the nomination was announced by the spokesman for President Karzai, Jawed Ludin, almost one-thousand people took to the streets to demonstrate against her appointment. They demanded the former governor of Bamiyan Mohammad Rahim Aliyar and the head of police security, Abdul Rahman kept their posts.

Habiba Surabi graduated from the University of Kabul in Pharmacology, but later immigrated to Pakistan during the Taliban regime. Mrs Surabi in an earlier interview with Pajhwok Afghan News prior to her appointment said she will go alone without her family to assume her responsibilities in the central province of Bamiyan.

A man living in the Panjab district, Sayeed Hussain Hussaini said "We want anyone who serves the society to be appointed – we don't mind whether it's a woman or man."

The Fight against Narcotics Is On and Will Continue Unabated Until a
Narcotics-Free Afghanistan - Press Release - 02 March 2005

Presidential Palace, Kabul – In the light of a new report released today by the International Narcotics Control Board, the following statement is issued by the Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan:

The Government of Afghanistan, within the help of the international community, is firmly pursuing the fight against narcotics on all fronts, including eradication of poppy fields, curtailing of drug production, interdiction and punishing of trafficking, and, above all, the provision of alternative livelihoods to farmers and affected communities. This campaign will continue unabated until Afghanistan becomes a narcotics-free country.

The Government of Afghanistan has adopted the 2005 Counter-Narcotics Implementation Plan to tackle the cultivation, production and trafficking of drugs in Afghanistan. There are eight Pillars in the Afghan Government's new implementation plan, which includes building institutions, alternative livelihood, interdiction and law enforcement, criminal justice, poppy eradication, demand reduction and treatment of addicts and regional cooperation.

The Government is working to close drug markets, seize narcotics, which are being smuggled all over Afghanistan, and to arrest those involved in drug smuggling and are reforming the judicial systems in order to be able to bring drug smugglers to justice.

In 2004, Afghanistan Special Narcotics Force (ASNF) has seized over 80 tonnes of narcotics, destroyed over 75 drug laboratories, and closed drug markets, including 2 major opium bazaars. The Counter Narcotics Police have expanded to over 750 officers, and will increase further.

And a National Interdiction Unit will be established soon, there will be 9 more mobile detection teams (over 100 officers). 15 teams (over 120 people) are to be deployed in a targeted way across Afghanistan from mid-February to verify the eradication already taken place. The result will be internationally-endorsed verification of Afghan Government efforts.

Extensive operations by security forces, in cooperation with the people of Afghanistan, to eradicate poppy cultivation all over Afghanistan have already begun and have been very successful. As a result of eradication efforts, as well as widespread voluntary restraints by farmers, poppy cultivation during this planting season has decreased. There is, however, need for provision of alternative livelihoods in order to sustain the success in reducing cultivation.

The President met this afternoon with H.E. Gareth Thomas, British Minister for International Development and Head of D.F.I.D. and emphasized on the need for the provision of alternative livelihoods to the affected farmers.

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

Italian troops start arriving in western Afghanistan as NATO mission expands Associated Press / March 2, 2005

Italian soldiers have begun arriving in western Afghanistan under plans for NATO troops to gradually relieve U.S. forces across the country, an alliance commander said Wednesday.

Italy is taking over a base in the main western city of Herat from the United States. Spain and Lithuania are to set up new bases in adjoining Badghis and Ghor provinces, while an existing U.S. outpost in Farah will also come under NATO control.

An advance party of Italian soldiers has "already started coming in," said Lt. Gen. Ethem Erdagi, the Turkish commander of the International Security Assistance Force which has supported Afghanistan's feeble government since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

NATO officials said several dozen Italians were in Herat, and Erdagi said the takeover of the region should be complete by June. The international force, currently under NATO command, expanded across northern Afghanistan from the capital, Kabul, the first stage in a plan to supplant the U.S.-dominated combat force across the country.

NATO planners are working on how they might take over the south of the country, where militants continue to attack Afghan and U.S. troops, and eventually the east, too. But it remains unclear whether NATO troops will maintain the aggressive operations of American forces.

The expansion into the west will bring hundreds of extra troops into the currently 9,000-strong force. Erdagi said at a news conference that he was "very optimistic" about the security situation in Afghanistan, but said more reinforcements would come in ahead of the election, which is expected to be held during the summer or autumn.

Pakistan to provide logistic help to NATO in Afghanistan - Pakistan Times Staff Report / March 2, 2005
RAWALPINDI: Besides USA, Pakistan has also agreed to provide logistic assistance to NATO for its operations in Afghanistan as part of ISAF. A technical delegation of NATO would visit Pakistan soon to find out a mutually agreed modus operandi for fostering mutual cooperation in this regard.

This decision was taken at a high level meeting between Pakistani defence officials and a high powered NATO delegation led by Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Tuesday .

A five member NATO delegation led by Alessandro Minuto Rizzo held a detailed meeting with the defence officials of Pakistan which was co-chaired by Secretary Defence Lt General (R) Hamid Nawaz Khan.

Secretary Defence told the meeting that Pakistan and NATO shared common perceptions on global peace and security . He said that Pakistan would like to cooperate with NATO on issues of mutual interest like war against terrorism and fighting the core global terrorist threats.

He further stated that Pakistan had played and would continue to play an active role to support international community in its fight against terrorism.

He informed the delegation that Pakistan was supporting peace and stability in Afghanistan and was providing as much assistance as possible in the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. The Secretary Defence said that Pakistan had already announced US $ 100 million grant for the re-construction of Afghanistan.

The Deputy Secretary General of NATO gave an elaborate briefing on the role of the organisation and its support for ISAF operations in Afghanistan. He appreciated the role of Pakistan in providing logistic support to ISAF and assistance rendered in Afghanistan. He also lauded the role of Pakistan played in the elections recently held in Afghanistan.

From the Pakistani side the meeting was attended by Secretary Defence Lt General Hamid Nawaz, Admiral Ahsanul Haq Ch, Additional Secretary, M Salim Iqbal, Joint Secretary Major General Raza Mohammad Khan, DG Operations and Plans JSHQ, Sohail Amin DG Europe, Foreign Affairs, Brig Waheed Ashraf DMO GHQ, Brig Khalid Khursheed Dte General ISI and other senior officials.

Earlier the NATO delegation called on Defence Minister Rao Sikander Iqbal and Minister of State for Defence Mr Zahid Hamid and discussed cooperation between Pakistan and NATO in support of regional peace and stability particularly that of Afghnistan.

The Ministers apprised the viisting delegation about the counter terrorism measures taken by government of Pakistan particularly on Pak Afghan borders. A delegation of NATO led by Ambassador Minuto Rizzo, Deputy Secretary General NATO called on Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here Tuesday and discussed matters of mutual interests.

The Prime Minister recalled his recent visit to NATO Headquarters in Brussels and informed the delegation that Pakistan seeks cooperation and good relations with NATO. He lauded the role being played by NATO forces in Afghanistan which are working under the Turkish command.

Pakistan, the Prime Minister, said is in an anchor of peace and stability in the region. Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoy close economic, political and diplomatic relations both on a personal level between leaders of the two countries as well as its people who are linked in ties of history and culture, he said. Pakistan desires political and economic stability in Afghanistan since it is critical to the security of the region, he added.

Ambassador Minuto Rizzo informed the Prime Minister that this was his first visit to Pakistan and part of the on-going process to define a new role for NATO after the cold war. He expressed the desire to explore avenues of cooperation with Pakistan as NATO wants to work as partners in promoting peace.
The Prime Minister expressed the hope that there shall be further exchanges between Pakistan and NATO and that both sides would explore avenues of cooperation including training facilities for a mutually beneficial relationship.

District elections in Afghanistan may be delayed, U.S. envoy says - March 2, 2005

(Kyodo) _ District elections in Afghanistan may not be held in tandem with parliamentary and provincial elections as planned partly because of boundary disputes, and may be delayed to the next year, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said Wednesday in Tokyo. Khalilzad also expressed hope that Japan will continue to play a key role for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

Asked whether all the three elections will be held this year, Khalilzad said in an interview with Kyodo News that parliamentary and provincial elections "are very likely to take place this year."

"But whether district elections take place this year or not, I'm not certain about that." The elections are slated for the Afghan month of Saur, which ends May 21, but a U.N. official indicated that the schedule is no longer possible.

While citing such complexities as boundary disputes in some districts and desirable ways to allow Afghan refugees abroad to participate in the elections, Khalilzad said Afghanistan's independent election committee has to "decide whether all the three (elections) can take place or two of the three at this point."

He said the commission is expected to make a decision in "coming days." The ambassador said Afghanistan's security situation is improving and that it will not be an obstacle for the elections.
The parliamentary vote was originally slated for June last year along with Afghanistan's first presidential election, but both were put off. The presidential election took place last October, in which President Hamid Karzai won a landslide victory.

The ambassador said it is desirable for Afghanistan to hold the elections as early as possible to advance its reconstruction process. "The sooner it takes place the better for completing Afghanistan political transition," Khalilzad said.

As for Japan's assistance for Afghanistan, Khalilzad said he hopes Japan will remain committed to helping the country because there are "a lot more works needed to be done" in such fields as rebuilding infrastructure.

"If the journey of rebuilding Afghanistan is a 10 mile journey, we are at mile four," Khalilzad said. He said Afghanistan does not have a water management system, which is crucial for its agriculture, and has very little power, with only 6 percent of Afghan people have access to electricity.
Japan extended $810 million to Afghanistan for its reconstruction between September 2001 and September 2004, according to Japan's Foreign Ministry.

Rights Groups Dismayed by Afghan Strongman's Post – Reuters 03/02/2005

By David Brunnstrom
KABUL - Human rights groups reacted with dismay Wednesday to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's decision to appoint a controversial regional strongman implicated in numerous rights abuses as his personal military chief of staff.

General Abdul Rashid Dostum, who finished fourth in October presidential elections, was named chief of staff to the commander in chief -- a post held by Karzai -- Tuesday, despite calls by rights groups for the president to sideline warlords.

John Sifton, representative for Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch, told Reuters Dostum had "been implicated in countless human rights abuses in the last quarter of a century."

Sifton said most of the main commanders and political faction leaders implicated in past crimes were officials in Karzai's new government, serving in high-level positions in the police, military intelligence and even as presidential advisers.

Amnesty International's Afghanistan researcher Nazia Hussain said Karzai's election win had given him the opportunity to create a climate respectful of human rights and accountability.

"A government which contains individuals suspected of having committed serious human rights abuses is a step backwards and in fact risks entrenching past abusers in power and setting back progress in creating a culture of accountability," she said.

Sifton said officials with records of past abuses and a penchant for solving political issues through force usually caused instability. "Most Afghans want the factional commanders like Dostum to be held accountable for their crimes," he said.

It remains unclear how much power Dostum will wield in his new post, as the Defense Ministry said General Bismillah Khan would continued to serve as chief of staff of the army. Karzai's spokesman Jawed Ludin declined to discuss accusations of rights violations by Dostum Tuesday.

"That's a completely separate discussion, and I think that's for the future," he said. "But as things stand, everyone in Afghanistan has the right to basically fulfil their responsibilities and be given an opportunity to do so."

Dostum had served as a military adviser in Karzai's previous interim administration, but relations have often been strained.

After Karzai came to power following the Taliban's overthrow by U.S.-led forces in 2001, Dostum's fighters threatened his attempts to bring stability by clashing repeatedly with rival ethnic Tajiks.

And last April, Karzai had to send the army to restore order after Dostum's federalist militiamen invaded a northern province. In naming Dostum to his post, Karzai will have had his eye on parliamentary polls expected later this year and will have taken into account the general's considerable popularity in his native ethnic Uzbek heartlands of northern Afghanistan.

In January, Dostum narrowly escaped injury when a suicide bomber blew himself up and wounded more than 20 people in his home town of Shiberghan. The Taliban said the attack was in retaliation for Dostum's killing of their fighters in 2001.

Dostum's forces were accused of letting hundreds of Taliban prisoners suffocate to death in transport containers after their capture in 2001, a charge Dostum has denied.

Karzai appoints Dostum as his Chief of Staff - By Mustafa Basharat and Khalid Mowahid

KABUL, Mar. 01, (Pajhwok Afghan News) -- General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the former Northern warlord has been appointed as Chief-of-Staff to the Commander of the Armed Forces by a Presidential decree. The new post was created by a Presidential decree issued late on Tuesday.

Rafiullah Mojaddedi, a spokesman for President Karzai, told Pajhwok on the phone late evening Tuesday that President Karzai had issued a decree of appointing Gen. Dostum to the new position. "As Gen. Dostum is a military person, so President Hamid Karzai appointed him on that position," Mojaddedi said. This post has not existed in recent years and the exact nature or importance of the post or the authority that Dostum will wield in this post is still unclear. The Commander of the Armed Forces is the President, Hamed Karzai.

Though the former commander has been invited to join the cabinet earlier he has consistently refused, apparently because the positions offered were not commensurate with his stature.

The government has been trying to replace powerful independent commanders who have been functioning outside the sphere of influence of the central government. The former Herat Governor Ismael Khan was removed from his position in September. General Dostum remains one of the most powerful commanders. Though his independent armed forces have been apparently demobilized under the ongoing program of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR), DDR officials have expressed concern about the continuing presence of arms in the Northern region.

The ethnic Uzbek commander is the head of the Junbish-e-Milli party and stood for the presidential elections in October 2005 amongst the 18 Presidential candidates.

Earlier this year, Dostum's followers severely criticized President Karzai for not giving him a job in the central government while forming his new cabinet. Dostum also survived a suicide attack in January this year in his hometown of Shibergan.

25 Afghans among quake dead in Zarand

LONDON, March 1 (IranMania) - Twenty-five Afghan refugees, most of them children and women, were among the victims of a powerful earthquake that hit southeastern Iran last week, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

“According to our consulate in Iran, 25 Afghans have died and another 40 have been injured,“ said ministry spokesman Naveed Ahmad Moez, AFP reported. He said they had been buried in Iran. “Iranian authorities have assured us that they will help treat the injured Afghans,“ Moez added.

A total of 612 people died and 1,400 were injured when a 6.4-magnitude quake struck Iran’s Zarand district before dawn on Tuesday. The epicenter of the quake was 60 kilometers (35 miles) northwest of the city of Kerman.

Iran, Afghanistan’s western neighbor, still hosts millions of Afghan refugees from two and a half decades of war despite efforts to repatriate them after the fall of the Taliban in late 2001.

Meanwhile, 140 aftershocks have hit the quake-hit town of Zarand since a major earthquake shook the town on February 22. Five aftershocks have been registered in the town of Zarand on Sunday alone.

According to Tehran’s seismographic base, on Sunday the most powerful aftershock measuring 4.1 and the mildest one measuring 3.7 on the Richter scale hit the town at 09:50 hours local time (0620 GMT) and 09:06 hours local time (0536 GMT), respectively.

According to early estimates, the 6.4-Richter scale quake has inflicted over $700 bln of damage upon rural areas and infrastructural installations in the quake-hit region. The quake destroyed four villages by 100% and damaged some 40 villages by over 25%.

KABUL - JAPAN GIVES ALMOST 30 MILLION DOLLARS EXTRA TO ASSURE THE SUCCESS OF AFGHANISTAN'S NEW BEGINNINGS PROGRAMME – Embassy of Japan

The Japanese Ambassador to Afghanistan, Mr Norihiro Okuda, and the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Ms Ameerah Haq, will formally sign documents on Thursday to provide an additional 28.8 million dollars to Afghanistan's New Beginnings Programme. The ceremony will be observed by the Minister of Defence for Afghanistan, Rahim Wardak, and senior officials of ANBP.

ANBP has been disarming members of the Afghan Military Forces since October 2003 and helping them to make the transition back to normal civilian life. To date, ANBP has processed more than 42 thousand AMF soldiers and successfully supported their efforts to become productive citizens of Afghanistan.

The reintegration of former AMF soldiers is seen as one of the most important measures to ensure continued peace and stability in Afghanistan. The new funding brings Japan's total contribution to the UN backed Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration programme to more than 90 million dollars.

US State Deparment Publish Human Rights Report on Afghanistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
1 March 2005 – The State Department of the United States publishes a Human Rights Report each year about any country that receives aid from the United States or any country that is the member of the United Nations. The Human Rights report is then submitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.

The individual country report has 6 sections which deal with issues such as respect for civil liberties, respect for political rights or worker rights.

The State Department report still rates Afghanistan’s record on human rights to be poor. It also says that although steps have been taken to improve the situation the effectiveness of these steps is not sufficient.

Related Links: US State Department Human Rights Report on Afghanistan

A contradiction over the parliamentary election date draws doubt on the independence of the electoral commission - By Mohammad Younus Mehrin

KABUL, Mar. 01, (Pajhwok Afghan News) -- The presidential spokesman in Kabul said Tuesday the first post-Taliban parliamentary elections will take place soon, contrary to the independent election commission who insist on postponing the elections.

"The government's view is to hold the elections as soon as possible," Karzai's spokesman, Javid Ludin, told a press conference Tuesday. According to the Afghan electoral law, a date for the parliamentary election should be announced 90 days before the election. And the elections are still scheduled for the month of Saur which ends on 21st of May. But it is less than 90 days ahead of the scheduled date.

However, Bismillah Bismil, head of the independent electoral commission for the parliamentary elections, speaking to Pajhwok on Monday 28th stood by his earlier words and said the parliamentary elections will be put off. But said the exact date for the elections is to be decided in two days time.

The difference of positions between the government and the electoral commission has sparked doubts among political parties and analysts regarding the independence of the commission. They fear the commission has come under pressure from Karzai’s government.

A similar doubt was conveyed regarding the independence of the electoral commission which organized the October 9th presidential elections, last year.

Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, an independent presidential candidate who ranked third in the October elections, said suspending the parliamentary elections is acceptable and could also be justified, only for technical reasons.

"If political gains are sought by the delay it will imply that neither the government nor the electoral commission have the authority or the right to specify a date for the elections."

Mohaqiq criticized the ongoing political situation in the country. "The movements by President Karzai show that he is not interested in seeing democracy and the rule of law imposed in the country." And further, the electoral law also says that the constituencies must be specified 110 days before the elections.

The leader of the Harakat-e-Islami party, Sayed Mohammed Ali Javid said the electoral commission is appointed by the Afghan government, and delaying the election will jeopardizes the norms of democracy. "Delaying the elections makes the government illegitimate," Javid said.

Ghulam Faroq Najrabi, another independent candidate, said the disparity between the government and the election commission, puts under scrutiny the independence of the electoral commission and the contradictory remarks by the government and the electoral commission demonstrates this.

Daily Afghan Report - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty - February 28, 2005

Kabul Says It's Committed To 'Credible Parliamentary Elections'... Amin Tarzi

A statement released on 26 February by the office of the presidential spokesman stated that Afghanistan is "committed to the holding of credible parliamentary elections as soon as possible." According to the statement, the exact date of the elections will be determined by the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB), which consists of members of the Independent Electoral Commission and the United Nations. The Afghan government is committed to providing full support to the JEMB so "that adequate preparations are in place" for the "complex undertaking" of holding the elections. The Afghan cabinet, the statement said, has decided to refer the issue of constituency boundaries to the Afghan parliament, as there are "a significant number of disputes about the number and boundaries of districts." Afghanistan has already delayed parliamentary elections scheduled to take place in the month of Saur in the Afghan calendar (20 April-21 May). According the election law, district boundaries should have been set at least 120 days before the polls. That deadline has already passed.

...As Afghan Politicians Are Concerned About Election Delays

Former Education Minister and presidential candidate Mohammad Yunos Qanuni said the government should quickly announce the date for holding parliamentary elections, Kabul-based Tolu television reported on 27 February. Former Commerce Minister Sayyed Mostafa Kazemi echoed Qanuni, saying the postponement of the polls was due to technical reasons rather than political ones. While no exact date has been set for the polls, the vote is expected to take place in the summer or in September (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report," 31 January 2005). AT

Interior Ministry Clarifies Killings In Southern Afghanistan

In a statement released on 26 February, the Afghan Interior Ministry clarified recent media reports regarding the alleged killing of nine Afghan soldiers in Helmand Province. News reports had indicated that on 24 February, nine government security officers and 11 neo-Taliban members were killed in a shoot-out. The Interior Ministry stated that the nine men killed were not government officers. Its statement confirmed a gun battle in Helmand and the killing of nine people, but speculated the fighting might have been between rival drug trafficking groups. The statement denied any fighting took place between government forces and the neo-Taliban in Helmand. AT

U.S. Signs 50-Year Lease With Afghanistan

The United States and Afghanistan on 26 February signed a lease for land in Kabul to be used for the U.S. Embassy, a press statement from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul indicated. "After the Soviet departure [in 1989] the U.S. disengaged from Afghanistan before the hard work of building a nation was done. We will not make that mistake again. This lease is a visible sign of our commitment to staying the course in Afghanistan for a long time," U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad said. AT

Government rejects Taliban claim of killing Afghan soldiers and intelligence officials

KABUL, Mar. 01, (Pajhwok Afghan News) -- Government officials in Kabul rejected a claim made by the Taliban spokesman, that their fighters killed five soldiers along the Kabul-Nangarhar highway and two intelligence officers in northern Faryab province, on Sunday night.

A Taliban spokesman, Lutfullah Hakimi, speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News on Monday 28th February said that they were responsible for killing five soldiers in Wrishmin Tangai area on the Kabul- Nangarhar highway, when they ambushed an Afghan national army patrol. In addition Hakimi claimed that their fighters abducted two intelligence workers, Najibullah and Abdul Qayum, from their homes and killed them on the night of Sunday the 27th.

"The people who were killed were spying on the activities of the Taliban and passing on information to the Americans, we have hit many such people and will continue to do so," Hakimi said.

But the Interior ministry spokesman, Lutfullah Mashal, said they were not aware of any incident in Faryab province. And commenting on the Kabul-Kandahar highway incident, the spokesman for the defense ministry, Zahir Azemi said the claims were tenuous and a mere publicity campaign on the part of the Taliban.

In separate incidents, correspondents say the Taliban carried out a series of attacks in the provinces last week, killing 9 soldiers in Helmand and 11 in Khost.

Poppy eradication verification begins in Heart - By Sadiq Behnam

HERAT, Mar 1 (Pajhwok Afghan News) -- A joint team comprising of officials from the Ministries of Interior and Agriculture that will inspect the poppy eradication program reached Herat on Tuesday. The team is one of 15 teams constituted by the government to inspect the country-wide eradication program and will also assess the extent of trafficking.

While there have been claims and counter claims about the extent of the success of the poppy eradication program there is still a dearth of accurate data on the situation on the ground.

Chari Rozba, the head of the team, told Pajhwok Afghan News "the team is one of 15 teams which have been constituted by the Interior ministry to make an accurate assessment of poppy eradication and the steps taken by officials. The team will be in Herat for fifty days." Rozba said the verification would be done using aerial survey maps and advanced tools.

Qayamuddin, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture told Pajhwok "we'll not only investigate Herat but also 10 other districts including Zinda Jan, Ghoryan, Kushki Kuhna, Shindad, Pashtun, Zarghun, Karukh, Obe and Farsi. Amongst these districts Shindad has largest poppy cultivation."

According to him the team started its work on Tuesday from the Zinda Jan district 40 kms away from the city of Herat. According to Sayed Abdullah Wajid, the head of the anti-narcotics department of Herat, almost 325 acres has been cleared of poppy in six months.

He told Pajhwok "80 percent of the poppy fields have been destroyed in the regions of Herat. The remaining could not be destroyed due to the heavy snowfall and will be cleared when the weather gets warm."

According to him, though poppy cultivation in Herat is less than in Helmand and Farah, trafficking of poppy is greater because Herat is located near Iran and Turkmenistan.

helping hand for Afghanistan - Bangkok Post (Thailand) / March 1, 2005

Afghanistan has achieved more in the past three years than many nations accomplish in a decade or more. The American-led invasion threw out a harsh and ruinous dictatorship, expelled the Arab terrorists and destroyed their training camps. The nation has made giant steps towards national reconciliation, and the warlords are falling or supporting the Kabul government. An amazing country-wide election last year won universal support, notably from previously disenfranchised and often oppressed women. But the country faces a major challenge to democratic reform. International drug traffickers have made Afghanistan the world's major supplier of opium and heroin. Kabul is looking to Thailand for help, and both the government and private sectors should rush to comply.

When the Taliban was crushed and its leaders fled in the US-led strike after the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America, Afghanistan looked like the classic basket case. Millions of refugees had fled more than two decades of war and repression. Afghanistan had no economic base, a feudal regime, disunited provinces and a recent history of survival of the fittest and most violent. Phoenix-like, it rose from its ashes of defeat and subjugation. Dozens of countries and hundreds of private companies and non-governmental organisations helped. A Thai construction battalion spent a year helping to rebuild a corner of the nation

Democratic institutions laid foundations, and international aid helped to sustain the Afghans and the more than two million refugees who returned. Diplomacy and good will _ and the occasional regional fighting _ got the warlords on the side of the national government. But amid the nation-building and power alignments, the economy remained weak to non-existent in most of the country. Farmers had one reliable crop to grow and sell to support their families. In two years, the opium fields encouraged and then banned by the Taliban were back in bloom.

The International Monetary Fund recently calculated that Afghanistan is the source of 90% of the world's opium trade. The crop generates about $2.8 billion _ 107.2 billion baht. That is 60% of the entire non-drug gross domestic product of Afghanistan. Worse, at least 10% of all Afghans work in opium production, but almost all of the money goes abroad to the smugglers, heroin makers and traffickers. Farmers are dirt poor and most are effectively indentured to opium traders who take the crops and dole out pitiful amounts of cash to farmers trapped in an economy that goes directly against the Muslim religion and offers no opportunity.

If this sounds vaguely familiar, think back to northern Thailand 20 or 30 years ago. Given their slave-like dependence on the opium trader, farmers leapt at the chance to make a fresh start. Coffee, potatoes, fresh flowers and fruit orchards began to bloom where only poppies had previously grown. Supported in the beginning only by His Majesty the King and a tiny handful of foreign officials, the crop replacement projects of the North became the talk of the world. The King _ and now thousands of experts _ realised that farmers needed roads and transport to get to markets, and ideas for crops. After that, commercial opium growing in Thailand quickly became history.

The second Afghan government delegation in a year has visited northern Thailand, including the model projects at Doi Tung in Chiang Rai. This time, Counter Narcotics Minister Habibullah Qaderi asked Thailand for help. Thai officials can provide aid to the new and emerging Afghanistan in two ways. Experts in crop replacement can advise Afghan officials on how to encourage farmers to switch to sustainable crops, suitable for their fields. Thai suppression officials can help the new Afghanistan ministry in setting up agencies to combat drug trafficking and money laundering.

As a new democracy still finding its feet, Afghanistan is vulnerable to international drug traffickers. It needs help to avoid the threat of becoming a narco-state, where drug smugglers buy government influence. Thailand has the expertise and should help Afghanistan quickly and extensively.

Iranian commander says 190,000 US troops a target if Iran attacked -

TEHRAN (AFP) march 2- The head of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards has warned that 190,000 US troops stationed close to the Islamic republic could be targetted if Iran were attacked.

"More than 190,000 members of American forces are scattered in Afghanistan and Iraq. If the US carries out its threats against Iran, they nust know that all these forces will be within our reach," Yahya Rahim Safavi told the ultra-hardline Ya Lessarat newspaper.

"The US and the Zionist regime (Israel) do not have the power to confront us and we will hand them bone-breaking blows," Safavi said, adding that "Iraq is getting more unsafe everyday for America" anyway. He also warned that if "the Zionist regime had a satanic thought and attacked Iran, we would not leave one point safe in the entire Zionist territory".

The United States and Israel both accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and have not ruled out military options to prevent the clerical regime of acquiring the bomb.

Pak, US forces closing in on top al-Qaeda leadership

WASHINGTON: US and Pakistani forces were narrowing the ring around al-Qaeda’s top leadership in the Pak-Afghan border areas, US Central Command Chief Gen John Abizaid sain on Tuesday.
"We have been successful in really working specific aspects of the network in such a way that it is much less effective this year than it was last year," Abizaid, who commands US forces throughout the region, said.

"In the Pakistan-Afghanistan area in particular, there are indications they are having difficulty gaining money, and there is indication of concern from various intelligence sources about the safety of being able to operate in those areas," he said.

Abizaid said that al-Qaeda remained dangerous, however, and expressed concern it may attempt attacks during Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections in June. Abizaid also said Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s "days in Iraq are numbered". He cited Iraqi intelligence and treason within the Jordanian’s network as keys to recent successes against him.

India sets tough terms for Pakistan Iran gas line

NEW DELHI: India will impose tough conditions on Iran for guaranteed supply of natural gas through a proposed pipeline running across Pakistani territory, Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said on Tuesday.

“The project developers have to cover the risk of the project for the Pakistan segment of the pipeline by securing adequate financial and sovereign guarantees as well as necessary insurance cover,” Aiyar told parliament. “The responsibility for all this will rest with the Iranian side and the project developers. There would be adequate ‘supply or pay’ conditions for ensuring security of natural gas supply for India,” he said.

The project may be completed by 2011 subject to resolution of various issues, he said. “Security of gas supplies through Pakistan territory is a major concern in the development of Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project,” Aiyar said. He said supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) should to be available as a back up.

“To provide additional security, gas storage facilities in India as well as short-term LNG supplies are proposed to be built into the project structure,” he said. Aiyar said Iran would deal with Islamabad separately for the pipeline’s route across Pakistan. Reuters

US considers incentives for Iran - bbc

The US is considering offering economic incentives to Iran in exchange for abandoning any plans to develop a nuclear weapon, US officials say. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said President George W Bush was looking at ideas discussed with European leaders last week.

Correspondents say US backing for the European plan would mark a significant shift in Washington's policy.

The EU has tried to negotiate with Iran but the US has urged a tougher stance. The US accuses Iran of using its civilian nuclear power programme as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful.

Late last year, Tehran agreed with the European Union to freeze its uranium enrichment programme - a process which can be used for nuclear power plants or nuclear weapons.

France, the UK and Germany are now trying to persuade Iran to make the freeze permanent in exchange for trade and technology benefits.

"The president is considering ideas that were discussed last week in Europe for moving forward on our efforts to get Iran to end its pursuit of nuclear weapons and abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions," Mr McClellan said.

The spokesman did not say when Mr Bush might make a decision. Reports say proposed incentives may possibly include Iran's eventual membership in the World Trade Organisation.

Earlier on Monday the head of the UN nuclear watchdog called on Iran to do more to co-operate with the agency's inspections. IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei said that inspections were "moving forward", but the agency was still not sure it had seen all areas of Iran's activities.

[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.]