Obviously, disarmament is just one very small portion
of the "rebuilding" in Afghanistan, but this article
belies Krugman's ridiculous assertion that the US was
pledging not one cent towards Afghanistan in the next
budget. In other news, President Karzai himself has
stated that he is, quote, "not worried" about the
reconstruction of Afghanistan being abandoned. If
you think about it, this is a very, very, strong
statement of support for the Bush Administration's
reconstruction efforts, since in general, recipients
of aid try to play up the amount of need they have -
they almost never say that they are "not worried" that
their needs will not be met.
JDG
Donor nations pledge $50.7 million to Karzai
The Japan Times
Japan and three other major donor countries pledged
Saturday to continue to support Afghanistan's efforts
to rebuild at a conference in Tokyo.
The four countries unveiled an aid package totaling
$50.7 million that is designed to help Afghan soldiers
leave the military and rejoin society as civilians.
The money being provided covers the budget for the
first year of the three-year program.
During the Tokyo Conference on Consolidation of Peace
in Afghanistan, Japan pledged to provide $35 million,
the U.S. offered $10 million, Britain some $3.5
million and Canada $2.2 million.
The process of disarmament, demobilization and
reintegration -- known as DDR -- of former combatants
into Afghan society will cost about $134 million over
three years, according to the United Nations
Development Program.
More than 30 donor countries, the European Union and
about 10 international institutions took part in the
conference.
In addition to the four major donors, many other
countries expressed readiness to offer financial aid,
although they did not provide specific figures during
the meeting.
Germany, which is in charge of organizing the new
police force in Afghanistan, said it will cooperate
closely with Japan to reduce the number of Afghan
police officials.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai emphasized the
importance of the DDR plan to ensure peace and
security in his homeland.
"Achieving DDR answers the deepest aspirations of the
Afghan people, who are eager to move away from war and
violence toward a peaceful, safe and civil society,"
Karzai said in his opening speech.
Afghanistan has between 150,000 and 200,000 soldiers,
of which 100,000 will be discharged in line with the
reorganization of the country's military and police
forces.
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi vowed to continue
her commitment toward Afghanistan's reconstruction
process and called on the international community to
continue to support the "from guns to plows" plan.
Each of the major donor nations has already played a
leading role in supporting Afghan's efforts to
rebuild, with Japan taking responsibility for the DDR
program.
Some 34 countries and 12 international organizations
attended the conference. Among the participants were
Sadako Ogata, special representative of Prime Minister
Junichiro Koizumi for Assistance to Afghanistan, and
Lakhdar Brahimi, special representative of the U.N.
secretary general for Afghanistan.
The Japan Times: Feb. 23, 2003
Afghan leader says donors committed
Karzai states war no impediment
By Peggy Hernandez, Boston Globe Correspondent,
2/23/2003
TOKYO - Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan's
interim government, said yesterday that he has
assurances from President Bush and Prime Minister Tony
Blair of Britain that a war with Iraq will not impede
his country's reconstruction.
Karzai, attending a one-day donors conference here,
secured another $51 million in aid for his war-torn
country.
''Generally, of course, war in Iraq will have an
impact,'' Karzai said. But he said that an attack
would not impede financial assistance to Afghanistan
or efforts to bring peace to the divided country. ''We
are not worried.''
The conference, attended by representatives from more
than 40 countries, served as a follow-up to a historic
session in January 2002, in which dozens of nations
and organizations pledged $4.5 billion to rebuild the
country. The new pledges come from Japan, the United
States, Britain, and Canada.
The United Nations, the World Bank, and the Asian
Development Bank estimate it will cost about $15
billion over 10 years for Afghanistan's
reconstruction.
In Tokyo, Karzai offered more details to the donor
countries about his three-year plan for ''disarmament,
demobilization, and reintegration'' to develop the
country. Under the plan, the country's warlords and
their soldiers are expected to surrender their weapons
in exchange for cash, vocational training, and work
placement.
Karzai will formally announce the start of the program
on March 21, the Afghan new year. He also said he
hoped the country will be able to hold its first
general election in June or July 2004.
''During the past year, we have had some remarkable
achievements,'' Karzai said. ''Most were made possible
by the desire of the Afghanistan people to make their
country good.''
He cited significant strides in education, where 3
million children have swelled school enrollments;
health, where basic services are again being offered;
the return of nearly 2 million refugees in eight
months; and the full implementation of a single, new
currency.
The president, an ethnic Pashtun - the nation's
largest single ethnic group and its traditional rulers
- pledged that the plan to disarm the hundreds of
thousands of factional fighters would reflect
Afghanistan's ethnic and tribal diversity.
''We want to make sure that demilitarization is
all-encompassing, not selective,'' said Karzai, who
was clad in a green and purple robe.
This story ran on page A22 of the Boston Globe on
2/23/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
(C) All rights reserved
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John D. Giorgis - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq:
Your enemy is not surrounding your country — your enemy is ruling your
country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be
the day of your liberation." -George W. Bush 1/29/03
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