Ottawa – The Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada welcomes the announcement today by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, regarding the 12 million dollars additional Canadian contribution to the Rule of Law programme in Afghanistan. This additional funding to the Afghanistan Law and Order Trust Fund (LOTFA) will help pay the salaries of Afghan National Police officers in the province of Kandahar.

The International Police Coordination Board in Afghanistan recently approved an increase in the number of police officers countrywide, including at least 1,000 new recruits in Kandahar province, ahead of Afghanistan’s elections in August. The new Canadian support will enable Afghanistan’s Ministry of Interior to recruit new police officers as part of the effort to enhance security for the forthcoming general elections in August 2009.

The Embassy of Afghanistan in Canada welcomes the new Canadian announcement and thanks the people of Canada for their continued engagement in the areas of Security, Rule of Law and development in Afghanistan.

Embassy of Afghanistan

June 12, 2009