In this bulletin:

Shanghai Cooperation Organization guests, from left to right, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai during pose for a group picture at the Shanghai International Convention Center in China Thursday June 15, 2006. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invited China, Russia and other Central and South Asian nations on Thursday to convene a special meeting to boost energy cooperation. Speaking at an open session of a gathering of a regional grouping, Ahmadinejad suggested that energy ministers from the 11 nations meet in Iran 'to explore more effective ways of cooperating.(AP Photo/Elizabeth Dalziel, Pool)

• Many dead in Afghan bus explosion
• Afghan forces launch anti-Taliban push
• General: NATO On Track to Expand Role in Afghanistan
• Afghan delegation declares Guantanamo Bay conditions 'humane'
• Suspect Afghan spy killed in north Pakistan
• Rice: No guarantees on Iraq, Afghanistan
• NATO 'highly appreciative' of Canadian role in Afghanistan 'Five rebels' killed in Pakistan
• STATEMENT OF TOM KOENIGS, THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UN
• SECRETARY GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN
• Afghanistan seeks Pakistan's financing for road construction
• Kabul asks Pak to facilitate India trade
• Kabul imposes new tariff on Pak imports
• UAE to fund 21 reconstruction projects
• Putin to discuss Afghan, bilateral ties with Musharraf
• AFGHANISTAN. D'ALEMA: ITALIAN MILITARY PRESENCE NOT QUESTIONED
• Pakistan, Iran critical for Afghan stability
• Canadian programme gives hope to Afghan refugees in Central Asia

Many dead in Afghan bus explosion – BBC

A bomb has destroyed a minibus in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar, killing at least 10 people and injuring 15, police have said. Police say the bomb was possibly hidden on the bus, and the device detonated during morning rush hour.

The vehicle was carrying Afghan labourers on their way to work at a coalition military base in the city. Officials say it is the first time that civilian Afghans working in Kandahar have been targeted by the Taleban. Attacks blamed on Taleban have risen in southern and eastern Afghanistan this year, with hundreds of deaths.

A man claiming to be a Taleban spokesman claimed responsibility for the latest incident in a telephone call to a local news agency. He said that the Taleban had warned Afghan nationals not to work with US forces.

"It is a bomb explosion and it seems that the bomb was inside the minibus," Colonel Shir Shah told Reuters news agency. Kandahar bakery owner Amidullah was working in his shop when the bus exploded outside.

"I heard an explosion and one of my customers and one of my workers was injured," he told the Associated Press. "When I came out of the shop, I saw the bus totally destroyed on the ground. I saw people dead and wounded lying on the ground."

The BBC's Alastair Leithead in Kabul says the bombing is thought to be the first attack of this kind in Afghanistan. It is also a worrying development as it seemed to deliberately target Afghan nationals who work for the coalition, he adds.

US officials said the bombing marked a change in Taleban tactics. "It's the first time Afghans working here have been deliberately targeted by the Taleban," coalition spokesman Maj Quentin Innis said. "They are clearly a non-military target being targeted. That's a shift in tactics for the Taleban."

There has been a surge in violence in southern Afghanistan, coinciding with the arrival of thousands of international troops trying to help the government bring security to areas where it has little control.

As well as fighting between coalition forces and Taleban rebels, there have been many roadside bombings, suicide attacks and assassinations of local government officials.

Thursday's blast came two days after two US troops were killed in clashes with the Taleban, and less than a week after the death of UK soldier. More than 30 foreign soldiers have been killed in action in Afghanistan this year, most of them American.

Afghan forces launch anti-Taliban push

Musa Qala (AP) - More than 10,000 Afghan and coalition forces have begun a massive anti-Taliban operation across southern Afghanistan, the largest offensive since the 2001 invasion that toppled the former regime, the U.S. military said Thursday.

Military forces are "moving forward with large-scale operations" in four southern provinces, Uruzgan, Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul, the military said in a statement. As the offensive began, suspected militants continued their attacks against the coalition.

A bomb hidden on a bus carrying Afghan laborers to a coalition base in southern Kandahar city exploded Thursday, killing 10 workers and wounding 15. Coalition spokesman Maj. Quentin Innis said the explosion clearly targeted Afghans working for the coalition.

The military offensive, dubbed "Operation Mountain Thrust," is part of a major push to squeeze Taliban fighters responsible for a spate of ambushes and suicide attacks against coalition forces and Afghan authorities in recent months.

The operation was also timed to coincide with the upcoming transfer this summer of command in the south from the U.S.-led coalition to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.

"There is no scheduled end date to Mountain Thrust. The Coalition will continue operations well into the summer and until objectives are met," the statement said.

The offensive is focused on southern Uruzgan and northeastern Helmand provinces, where the military says most of the militant forces have gathered. Operations also will be conducted in the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar and Zabul.

Troops on Wednesday built sand barriers and guard outposts around a small forward operating base in the Helmand district of Musa Qala, while others fired rounds from 119-millimeter howitzers deployed to the base's perimeter into the vast desert expanse.

"We do it so they know it's here and they know it could be pretty bad for them," said Lt. Col. Chris Toner, commanding officer at the base located 180 miles from the nearest permanent base in Kandahar. "This terrain up here favors the defender. I'm sure they know how many vehicles we have here, that we have artillery here, but that's OK — I know what they know."

Limited operations began May 15 with attacks on Taliban command and control and support networks. According to U.S. military and Afghan figures, about 550 people, mostly militants, have been killed since mid-May, along with at least nine coalition troops.

The operation will involve 2,300 U.S. conventional and special forces, 3,300 Britons, 2,200 Canadians, 3,500 Afghans and coalition air support, said Maj. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, U.S. operational commander in Afghanistan, who briefed The Associated Press on the offensive last week.

The operation is the largest launched since 2001. But U.S.-led troops have conducted large-scale operations elsewhere in Afghanistan involving several thousand soldiers, particularly in the east near the Pakistani border where Taliban forces routinely attack U.S.-led troops from towering mountain ranges.

On Wednesday, coalition and Afghan forces killed 26 suspected Taliban fighters in an attack on mountain positions in the eastern Paktika province, said provincial Gov. Akram Khelwak. Helicopter gunships and artillery fire supported ground troops and one Afghan police officer was wounded.

Afghanistan has been wracked by its bloodiest violence since the U.S.-led coalition invaded after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and toppled the Taliban government for harboring Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida supporters.

General: NATO On Track to Expand Role in Afghanistan - By Al Pessin
Kandahar, Afghanistan 15 June 2006

The commander of NATO forces worldwide says his troops from several countries are on track to take responsibility for security in southern Afghanistan in July, and that NATO could expand to the one remaining section of the country immediately afterwards. The commander spoke to reporters at the airport in the main southern Afghan city of Kandahar Wednesday and VOA's Al Pessin was there.

This facility looks more like a construction site than an airport, with new housing and runway space being added every day. It is all part of NATO's expansion into this part of Afghanistan, where insurgents have increased their attacks in an apparent effort to make gains before the NATO force is fully in place

But the NATO commander, American General James Jones, says his British, Canadian and Dutch troops are nearly ready to take control of the region from the U.S. led coalition that ousted the Taleban four and a half years ago. "We're moving towards our stated goal of transferring the authority to Stage Three sometime in July," he said.

And while political leaders, including U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, have been cautious about predicting when NATO might take over in eastern Afghanistan, where the insurgency is also strong, General Jones is not reluctant to state his preference. "Everything has been agreed to. The command structure has been agreed to. The rules of engagement have been agreed to. We know exactly how the operation is going to work. And so, my personal military advice would be Stage Four should come as quickly as possible," he said.

Even after NATO takes responsibility for security in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. troops that are already there will continue to do most of the work, under NATO's British commander in Kabul. So General Jones says NATO's expansion to the east could even happen the day after it takes control in the south.

The general says a continuing U.S. role is important, not only in the east, but also leading the counter-terrorism effort nationwide. "The importance of the United States' commitment, visible commitment, remains absolutely essential. And I'm quite sure that that will continue to be there," he said.

In all, NATO will have a bit more than 30,000 troops in Afghanistan when the transition is complete, nearly 50 per cent more than the U.S.-led coalition has had. And in addition, there will continue to be some U.S. troops in the country outside the NATO command. Just how many has yet to be decided.

And General Jones says to his amazement all the countries involved have agreed to operate under the same 'rules of engagement,' without the individual national restrictions called 'caveats' that have hampered NATO operations in the past. "That is really not going to be the problem. What the challenge is, is sustainment and making sure that nations understand this is not just a military solution and that we have to continue to apply the pressures that are necessary, and the resources that are necessary across the broad spectrum of the Afghan society to make sure that this country gets on its way to not needing us," he said.

NATO officials say the effort will take years, and General Jones says it is hard to predict whether public opinion in NATO countries will allow for that type of long-term commitment. But he says some quick results will help.

Afghan delegation declares Guantanamo Bay conditions 'humane' - ASSOCIATED PRESS 4:06 a.m. June 14, 2006

KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan delegation returning from a 10-day visit to the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay said Wednesday that prison conditions there were “humane.”

The head of the delegation, Abdul Jabar Sabhet of the Interior Ministry, said the delegation was given the chance to speak freely with all 96 Afghan prisoners about their living conditions. Sabhet said there were “only one or two” complaints.

“Conditions of the jail was humane. There were rumors in this country about that. It was wrong. What we have seen was OK,” he said. Sabhet's assessment comes five days after the suicides of three detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. He said there are plans to return some of the Afghan prisoners to Afghanistan soon though he didn't have an exact date.

Suspect Afghan spy killed in north Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Unknown persons have killed an Afghan man they suspected a spy in Pakistan's tribal region of North Waziristan, private Geo TV reported on Wednesday.

According to political administration, the body of the victim, identified as Asad Khan, was dumped near Mahsharkot at Miranshah-Ghulam Khan road, near the capital of North Waziristan Miranshah.

A note was also been found near the body, which said that the man had been slaughtered as a punishment for spying for the American and Afghan forces. Enditem

Rice: No guarantees on Iraq, Afghanistan

By ANNE GEARAN and TIM WHITMIRE Associated Press June 14, 2006

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that the U.S. military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan do not assure those countries will become successful democracies. But she said the chance for success is worth the price.

Speaking to a largely conservative audience of more than 12,000 Southern Baptists, Rice said she knows optimism can hard to sustain in the face of daily sectarian carnage and beheadings in Iraq.

Although the three-year-old war is increasingly unpopular at home and President Bush's public opinion ratings have sunk as a result, there was little sign of flagging support in the huge convention hall where Rice spoke. She got repeated standing ovations for her call for continued U.S. engagement across the globe.

"We're standing together with people everywhere who desire these fundamental freedoms," especially in Afghanistan and Iraq, Rice said in a speech to the annual Southern Baptist Convention.

In those two countries alone, "We have given more than 55 million people an opportunity to flourish in freedom," Rice said. "Not a guarantee of success, but a chance."

Rice said the image of Bush embracing the new democratically elected Iraqi prime minister on Tuesday in Baghdad was a reminder of why the fight is worthwhile. The Bush administration hopes that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can contain the violence and rally support for his government, and allow the United States to begin withdrawing some forces from Iraq.

An AP-Ipsos poll taken last week, before the killing of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in Iraq, showed that more Americans than ever thought the war in Iraq was a mistake. The poll showed 59 percent of adults say the United States made a mistake in going to war, and approval of President Bush's handling of Iraq dipped to 33 percent, a new low.

Just 67 percent of Republicans, 63 percent of conservatives, and 57 percent of white evangelicals believed a stable, democratic government is likely.

Only 68 percent of Republicans, 57 percent of white evangelicals and 51 percent of self-described conservatives — key groups in Bush's base of support — approved of his handling of Iraq.

Rice's speech was partly an attempt to appeal to Bush's political base after a series of disappointments for conservatives, including the administration's handling of the Dubai ports deal earlier this year.

Rice, the daughter and granddaughter of Presbyterian ministers, was introduced by outgoing Southern Baptist Convention President Bobby Welch as "a woman of faith and not ashamed to testify to that."

She referred often to God and prayer, and cast U.S. work overseas, from Iraq to Sudan to the attempts to stem the trafficking of human beings for forced labor or sex, in religious terms. As she left the podium, delegates in the upper arena began to sing "God Bless America." The whole arena joined in the spontaneous anthem.

NATO 'highly appreciative' of Canadian role in Afghanistan - Wed, 14 Jun 2006 - CBC News

As NATO prepares to take over command of the multinational force in Afghanistan this summer, the head of the military alliance is assuring Canadians their work is valued and in support of a very good cause.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer made the comments in an exclusive interview with CBC News. The alliance is "highly appreciative" of Canada's effort and recognizes Canadians are sending their own soldiers into harm's way.

"This is a very difficult story for the ones left behind, if they don't come back from Afghanistan," said de Hoop Scheffer. "You are there for a very good cause."

Sixteen Canadian soldiers and one diplomat have been killed since Canada's mission to the country started in 2002. Recent polls have suggested Canadian support for the mission, which MPs recently voted to extend to 2009, is sagging.

De Hoop Scheffer said the mission is in keeping with a long Canadian tradition of United Nations-mandated deployments. "NATO is not looking for an unlimited Canadian commitment," he said.

De Hoop Scheffer wouldn't speculate on how long NATO troops or Canadians could be in Afghanistan, but said there are good reasons to keep working in the country.

He said the troops are helping Afghan people create a secure and sustainable nation that will help them build for the future. "At the moment, there are six million children going to school, of whom two million are girls," he said.

Furthermore, the world must make certain Afghanistan doesn't slip back into the failed state it used to be, said de Hoop Scheffer. "Suppose Afghanistan was to become again the black hole that it was," he said. "Afghanistan was an exporter of terrorism.

"Terror is on Canada's doorstep in Vancouver or Ottawa or Montreal, as much as it is in Amsterdam or Madrid or New York."

De Hoop Scheffer's comments came days after 17 people were arrested on suspicion of plotting to bomb targets in southern Ontario. NATO currently has about 9,700 troops from 37 countries in Afghanistan, most of whom are  deployed in the country's north and west.

This summer, the mission will expand to a force of about 17,000, with 6,000 soldiers deployed in six provinces in the country's southern region. The mission will include about 2,300 Canadians in Kandahar.

NATO's role is to provide security for provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs), which are working to rebuild the country's infrastructure. There are about 150 members of Canada's PRT, based in Kandahar City, including military, police, political and development personnel.

'Five rebels' killed in Pakistan

BBC News / Wednesday, 14 June 2006

Pakistani security forces say they have killed five suspected militants in an operation against tribal rebels in the troubled province of Balochistan.

The operation in the Sui area, backed by helicopter gunships, also destroyed an alleged militant camp. Local tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, however, said 12 civilians had been killed in the operation.

Gas-rich Balochistan has seen rising violence as tribal groups push for greater political and economic rights. Pakistani paramilitary forces said in a statement that the operation targeted a camp being used by militants near a gas field in Loti.

Five tribal rebels were arrested, the statement added. Tribal leader Nawab Akbar Bugti denied there were any rebel casualties. He told reporters 12 people, mostly women and children, were killed in the operation in which "22 helicopters and jet planes" were used.

Gas pipelines were blown up in Sui earlier this week which led to the suspension of supplies in Kohlu and Dera Bugti districts.

The rebels have previously blown up gas pipelines, railway lines and electricity lines. They have also attacked army bases and government buildings.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has accused tribal leaders of putting up armed resistance to his plans to build a sea port and road network to turn Balochistan into a major trading zone.

But the Baloch tribal leaders say their struggle is for greater provincial autonomy and an increased share of mineral resources from the gas and oil rich province.

STATEMENT OF TOM KOENIGS, THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE UN SECRETARY GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN ON THIS MORNING’S BUS EXPLOSION IN KANDAHAR CITY

I am shocked and saddened by this morning’s bus explosion in Kandahar city that resulted in the death of more than ten people and injuries to a number of others. There can be no justification for such a bloody attack against innocent civilians who were simply travelling to work. My thoughts are with the family and friends of all those who were killed or injured at this difficult time and I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to bring the perpetrators to justice swiftly. Kabul 15 June 2006

Afghanistan seeks Pakistan's financing for road construction - Islamabad, June 14, IRNA

Afghanistan on Wednesday sought financing from Pakistan for the reconstruction of a new parallel road between the Torkham border and the eastern city of Jalalabad.

Afghanistan Finance Minister Dr. Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi made the request at the opening session of the two-day meeting of the Pak-Afghan Economic Commission which began here.

Ahadi said that some 7,000 vehicles ply on the Torkham-Jalalabad road daily and that is why Afghanistan wants a new road. The Afghan minister also demanded of Pakistan to allow India to export its products to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

He also sought Pakistan's help in looking into the economic importance of a new road between Jalalabad and the capital Kabul. He said Afghanistan also wants construction of a road between Jalalabad and Jabal-us-Siraj via Sarobi.

The Afghan minister said, "We share higher level of economic and commercial cooperation besides religious ties between the two countries." He thanked Pakistan's technical and financial assistance in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.

He said the mutual trade could be beneficial to both Pakistan and Afghanistan. He said Afghanistan is the largest market for Pakistani exports and urged to enhance cooperation in security matters. He said it is the precondition for generating economic activities. Ahadi said that the Afghan leadership desires to have good bilateral trade, commercial and political relations with Pakistan.

Advisor to Prime Minister on finance Salman Shah, who is representing Pakistan in the meeting, said Pakistan is focusing on the development of infrastructure, provision of road links and better communication facilities from Gwadar to border areas to facilitate Afghan trade. He said Pakistan wants to provide preferential, low-cost and hassle-free access to Afghanistan through infrastructure development.

He further said that as a result of Pakistan's firm commitment and concentrated efforts to facilitate and enhance trade with Afghanistan, Pak-Afghan trade has increased to over 1.2 billion dollars and Pakistan is keen to take steps to further enhance fruitful economic interaction.

He said Pakistan has notified nine new customs stations at the Pak-Afghan border and steps are being taken to upgrade infrastructure facilities at the existing border crossings. This would further facilitate orderly cross-border movement of goods and people.

Kabul asks Pak to facilitate India trade

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan on Wednesday asked Pakistan to provide it facility to trade with India under a 1965 transit trade agreement, Online news agency reported.

Pakistan should provide facility to Afghanistan to export and import goods from India, Anwar ul Haq Ahadi, the Afghan prime minister's advisor on finance, told the sixth summit meeting of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Joint Economic Cooperation here.

He said Afghanistan should be assisted to import goods from India through the land border in Punjab and custom laws should be made easy for Afghan traders.

Kabul imposes new tariff on Pak imports By Sajid Chaudhry (Daily Times)

ISLAMABAD: The Afghan government has imposed a new customs tariff to help reduce smuggling from Afghanistan to Pakistan, an adviser to the Afghan Finance Ministry has said.

Asad Sakhi Farhad told Pakistani officials at the sixth Pak-Afghan Joint Economic Commission (JEC) meeting on Wednesday that the Afghan government had also changed the status of “several finished products being imported into Afghanistan as raw material, to intermediate products”.

He said this in response to a request by the Pakistani authorities to control smuggling of goods from Afghanistan. Farhad said that the import duty on items coming into Afghanistan such as fabrics and vehicles had been increased manifold. The new customs tariff would help control the smuggling of these items into Pakistan because smuggling would no longer be as profitable, he said. The adviser said that the Afghan government would examine the effect of the enforcement of the new tariff in the coming months, and would continue to adopt such measures for the benefit of both countries.

He also requested the Pakistan government to take effective measures to control smuggling, as “this illegal trade is depriving the Afghan government of a sizeable amount of taxes and duties”.

Earlier, Central Board of Revenue official Shahid Rahim Sheikh informed the Afghan side that a large quantity of goods imported under the Afghan Transit Trade Agreement (ATTA) was being smuggled back to Pakistan, and asked the Afghan authorities to check this practice.

Afghanistan also demanded a land transit facility from Pakistan for its imports from India. However, Pakistani officials said that the issue was being discussed in bilateral trade talks with India, and suggested that the Afghan side wait for the outcome of the dialogue.

Afghanistan also asked Pakistan to remove all items from its negative list, and address “operational difficulties” faced by Afghan importers in the transport of goods under the ATTA to attract more Afghan imports through Pakistan.

UAE to fund 21 reconstruction projects

KABUL, June 13 (Pajhwok Afghan News): The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will spend $70 million to fund 21 reconstruction projects, mostly in the central capital Kabul.

An agreement to this effect was signed between Saiful Ghanem Al-Saeed, deputy chairman of Abu Dhabi Development Fund (ADDF) and Afghan officials here on Tuesday. Ghanem is presently visiting Afghanistan with a delegation.

The projects included asphalting of 30 kilometres roads inside Kabul, construction of 10 residential towns and more than 50 mosques in different provinces, building a Dar-ul-Majaneen (mental hospital) and renovation of the Makroryan residential blocks.

Minister for Urban Development engineer Muhammad Yousuf Pashtun, who was present during the ceremony, said work on the projects would start in the coming four months.

Pashtun said the 10 residential towns would be built in nine cities; however, he did not specify the cities. He said one residential scheme would be opened in Kabul for the returning refugees while the remaining would be launched for government employees and school teachers in different provinces.

Kabul Mayor Ghulam Sakhi Noorzad, who signed some of the MoUs, said the roads to be reconstructed included Dehmazang - Darulaman, Karta-i-Mamorin - Qargha, Ahmad Shah Baba Mena - Bagrami, Deh Afghanan - Polytechinc, Pul-i-Bagh Umomi - Joi Sher and the one on both sides of the Kabul River. The UAE had pledged the help during President Hamid Karzai's recent visit there.

Speaking on the occasion, Saiful Ghanem Al-Saeed said they considered Afghanistan their second home and were eager to contribute more in its reconstruction. The four-member delegation went back on Tuesday and will return after two days to held more talks on implementation of the projects. Mustafa Basharat

Putin to discuss Afghan, bilateral ties with Musharraf

Moscow, June 14: The situation in Afghanistan, regional developments and bilateral ties will come up for discussion during talks Russian President Vladimir Putin will have with his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Shanghai on Thursday.

Putin, who today left for Shanghai to attend the 10th jubilee session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will have a series of bilateral meetings tomorrow on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said.

Besides holding talks with Musharraf, the Russian President will have separate meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar.

During his meeting with Hu, Putin will discuss political cooperation on key issues while "paying special attention to problems of economic cooperation, particularly in transport, machine-building and energy as well as issues of cultural and humanitarian cooperation," Prikhodko said.

The Iranian nuclear issue will come up for discussion during Putin's meeting with Ahmadinejad.

"It is planned that some international issues will be discussed as well, such as the talks over the development of the Iranian peaceful nuclear program and the situation around Iraq," the aide said.

Meanwhile, Putin in an article said, that the "factor of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a considerable element of stability on the wide Eurasian Space."

"This is a reality of modern regional and global politics," he said in the article published by the government daily Rossiskaya Gazeta today.

"Let me recall that the creation of this regional organisation was the result of time-consuming efforts to strengthen mutual confidence. If take into account that in parallel we have to tackle other serious problems, then we really can be proud of persistence, purposefulness and forbearance shown by all member-countries," Putin said. "After serious talks, the parties managed to settle border issues. It is enough to say that there were no other precedents of such outcomes in Asia - either by border extension or composition of participants," he wrote in his article published by the government daily.

AFGHANISTAN. D'ALEMA: ITALIAN MILITARY PRESENCE NOT QUESTIONED

(AGI) - Rome, June 14 - FM Massimo D'Alema said that "Italy's presence in Afghanistan is not to be questioned". "Unlike the situation in Iraq, Italy's military presence in Afghanistan began after specifc NATO, EU and UN initiatives, and the Italian and Afghan governments still reckon it is a necessary presence. Helping the country rise after the Taliban regime is still a far away goal. The military presence is to be combined with political, humanitarian, economic strategies, supporting the transition to democracy". (AGI) .

Pakistan, Iran critical for Afghan stability - Khalid Hasan (Daily Times)

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and Iran offer Afghanistan its most imposing and critical regional bilateral relationships, but whether they cooperate or create obstacles for Afghanistan’s recovery is greatly influenced by American strategic policies in the region, says a new report.

The report – Afghanistan and its Neighbours: an ever dangerous neighbourhood – written for the US Institute of peace by noted South Asia expert Marvin Weinbaum, maintians that “predatory” neighbours have been a fact of life for the Afghan state throughout most of its history. In defence, Afghans have chosen both isolation and resistance. Today, openness and cooperation with regional powers offer the best prospects for security and economic progress for Afghanistan. Conversely, the region’s political stability and economic potential are broadly influenced by the ability of post-conflict Afghanistan to succeed in its recovery. The region’s opportunistic states are liable to revive their interventions in Afghanistan in the event of a faltering Kabul government or an international community that reneges on its commitments to help secure and rebuild the country. Already there are some indications that the forbearance shown by neighbours in recent years may be flagging.

According to Weinbaum, who made a number of trips to the region to write the report, there is a widespread belief among Afghans and others in the region that United States’ interest in the country will fade quickly once its major objectives in the region are realised. “While an arguable expectation, perceptions alone are enough for many Afghan and regional power brokers to begin to hedge their bets in supporting the Karzai regime. Afghanistan’s emergence as a regional crossroads for trade and resource sharing in a post-Taliban era remains a distant though hopeful prospect. Endemic economic and physical constraints and retrogressive political developments block progress toward the region forming a vital new economic entity,” he writes.

Weinbaum is of the view that Washington up to now has been equivocal regarding Pakistan’s Afghan policies. American officials periodically press Gen Pervez Musharraf to do more to rein in the Taliban and others engaged in anti-Kabul activities, while publicly praising the Islamabad government for its cooperation in apprehending Islamic terrorists. “Actually, for most of the last four years Pakistan’s leaders have had reason to conclude that curtailing the activities of the Taliban and their allies was of lesser importance to Washington than capturing those who could be linked directly to Al Qaeda,” he writes.

Meanwhile, Weinbaum believes the United States has given Gen Musharraf “considerable slack” in meeting his commitments to deal with domestic extremism or his promises to restore authentic democracy. The US partnership with Pakistan would probably be on firmer footing through conditioned programmes more dedicated to building the country’s political and social institutions than rewarding its leadership.

“Like Musharraf, Karzai is one of the pillars supporting US policy objectives in the region. However, a military-focused partnership with Afghanistan may be the wrong way for the United States to demonstrate its commitment to Karzai and Afghanistan. It slights the contribution of reconstruction and improvement in the lives of most Afghans in making the country secure from its enemies.

Many Afghans view a concession to Washington on long-term military basing as akin to those demands associated with an occupying power, having little relation to Afghanistan’s own needs. A strategic partnership could also undermine what has been the Afghan president’s largely successful personal rapport with most of the region’s leaders ... Afghanistan is unlikely to succeed without coming to terms with its difficult neighbourhood,” he maintains.

Canadian programme gives hope to Afghan refugees in Central Asia

ALMATY/DUSHANBE, June 14 (UNHCR) – They both came from Kabul and are heading the same way – to Canada – but Mohammad Haroon Rahoon and Saliha Azizullah have taken very different routes along the way. He fled one conflict for another, while she has known nothing but heartbreak in exile.

Both are among more than 2,700 Afghan refugees in Central Asia who have been given a new lease on life through the Canadian accelerated resettlement programme in the last two years. Since the first group left Kyrgyzstan in 2004, many more have followed from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in a continuing process to resettle the most vulnerable refugees who can neither repatriate nor integrate in their host country.

"After the Najibullah government collapsed [in Afghanistan in 1992], the mujahideen came from the mountains with their long beards and robes. The new regime was hard for people who lived in the city and were free. As a journalist, I wrote poems and articles about the relationship between people and god. I feared for my life," said 34-year-old Haroon.

In 1993, he left his native Kabul, travelled north to Mazar-i-Sharif and crossed the Pyanj river into Tajikistan, where he joined his father and sister in the capital, Dushanbe. Tajikistan was in the middle of a civil war. "There were problems, but not as bad as in Afghanistan," said Haroon. "UNHCR registered me and gave me a refugee card, which kept me out of trouble."

The UN refugee agency provided financial assistance until the Afghan refugees organised a market among themselves. Haroon commuted between Dushanbe and Moscow, selling clothes and toys. But he never forgot his first love – poetry – and set up an association of Afghan poets, creating publications and writing numerous books about his homeland. His poems have been used in songs by Afghan and Tajik singers.

"During the Nauroz [Persian New Year] celebrations, the Tajik president said all poets should learn to write like me," he said with pride.

For fellow Afghan refugee Saliha, culture and education are a luxury when she can barely afford to feed her children in the Kazakh capital, Almaty. The family left Kabul in 1992 after repeated attacks by ex-convicts from a prison her husband had worked in. The gangs followed them to Pakistan, forcing them to flee to Almaty, where they have relatives.

Soon after, Saliha's husband killed himself and left her with four children aged three to 13. With help from UNHCR and the Public Fund for Support of Afghan Diaspora, they were recognised as refugees in Kazakhstan. The Public Fund – a local non-governmental organisation – pays their rent while another UNHCR partner, the Red Crescent Society, gives them 11,000 tenge (US$85) in allowances every month.

"I do domestic work for some families and get food in return. We live in one room and sleep all over, like animals in a pen," she said with a resigned smile.

The 37-year-old widow has no time or money to take her children to school. "My eldest daughter is too old to start Grade One. And at 10,000 tenge per month, kindergarten is a dream for my younger children. So they all stay home," she said as her hyperactive twin boys wreaked havoc in the tiny apartment.

But no matter how hard life is in exile, Saliha will never go back to Kabul. "I love my country, but I can't forget the trauma. I don't see a life for my family there."

Thankfully, there is another option for vulnerable cases like hers – resettlement to a third country. Out of the 2,720 Afghans accepted for resettlement under the Canadian programme in Central Asia, 2,205 have left for the North American nation in the last two years.

Saliha and her children have gone through the requisite interviews and medical

checks, and are now waiting for a visa to Canada. "I don't know anything about Canada, but during the [resettlement] interview they told me my children will go to school and I can pay rent from my salary," she said. "I know I'll live a peaceful life and the children will succeed and prosper there."

Poet Haroon was equally hopeful before he left Dushanbe for Toronto with his journalist wife and aunt recently. "Of course I'll miss Tajikistan. It's my second homeland. I live breathing its air."

But he has not forgotten about his motherland: "I've asked my friend to bring me a handful of sand from Afghanistan. Too many people died there, their blood is all over the land." He also packed an archive of his works. "Once I'm in Canada, I want to introduce Afghan and Tajik artists to the world."

Asked if she can cope with the new life ahead, Saliha said, "When life is stressful, I can even forget my own culture. But if there is peace and stability, I can learn a new culture and the skills to survive."

[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.]