06 December 2001
Women Part of Afghan Interim Government
(White House pleased but says more work remains ahead) (810)
By Laura J. Brown
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Afghan delegates working to establish an interim
government for their country have come a step closer to reclaiming a
role for women in public life. After a final round of negotiations
December 4 outside of Bonn, Germany, the four rival delegations agreed
to an administration that includes two women.
The delegates settled on a 29-member administration headed by a
chairperson, with five vice chairs and 23 ministers and deputy
ministers. Sima Samar, a doctor who runs health centers for Afghan
refugees in Pakistan was named minister for women's affairs -- she
will also be a vice-chair in the new government lead by Hamid Karzai,
according to press reports.
Dr. Samar, an ethnic Hazara from Ghazni province, will be the first
woman to hold such a senior post in Afghanistan.
In addition to Dr. Samar, independent candidate Suhaila Seddiqi, a
surgeon and former army general who still lives in Kabul, is to become
minister for public health.
White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer welcomed the agreement, which
marks Afghanistan's transition to a broad-based government in contrast
to the cruel Taliban regime. "It will allow the people of Afghanistan
to take their country back, and the President is very pleased by
that," he said.
"He's pleased by the multiethnic nature of the agreement. He's pleased
by the role that women will play in the future government of
Afghanistan. But much more work remains ahead," Fleischer said during
the White House press briefing December 5.
The agreement follows multiple calls from U.S. officials and others
worldwide for Afghan women to have a part in rebuilding their
war-ravaged country. In a radio address November 17, First Lady Laura
Bush drew widespread attention to the oppression of women in
Afghanistan, who under the Taliban rule were forbidden to work or
study outside the home or to leave the house without a male relative.
"The plight of women and children in Afghanistan is a matter of
deliberate human cruelty, carried out by those who seek to intimidate
and control," she said, adding that the Taliban treatment of women is
a form of "gender apartheid."
At a meeting with 11 Afghan women at the White House November 27, Mrs.
Bush stressed that the new Afghan government must protect the rights
of women and children and ensure that all children, "not just boys,"
are offered an education.
"We are at a very, very crucial time as Afghanistan forms its new
government," Mrs. Bush said on that occasion. "The stability of
Afghanistan, the stability of the region is very dependent on making
sure that human rights are a very clear part of the new government.
And of course human rights includes the rights of women and children."
Activists for Afghan women watched the nine-day talks in Germany with
a keen interest in seeing participation of women in the transitional
government. Sara Amiryar, a Georgetown University administrator who
was born and educated in Afghanistan, said that Afghan women must be
part of the peace process and the reconstruction at all levels.
"Afghan women should not be underestimated," Amiryar said as the
delegations began talks. "Despite the fact that Afghan women were the
primary victims of two decades of conflict and atrocities, they were
the ones who kept Afghan culture alive."
At a conference in New York November 29 entitled "Women for Afghan
Women: Securing Our Future," some participants expressed
disappointment that the Bonn conference included only three women
delegates, compared to the 60 male delegates, while women make up more
than half of Afghanistan's population.
"There are not enough Afghan women included in the political
delegations at conferences such as the Bonn conference," said Fahima
Danishgar, co-founder of the Women for Afghan Women group.
Danishgar, who moved to the United States at the age of 10, described
the country she hopes to help rebuild. "I remember an Afghanistan
where women walked about the streets freely, took part in education,
went to school, universities, and were part of society in professional
fields, governments," she said of the pre-Taliban era. "That is the
Afghanistan that I envision in my mind and hold dear to my heart."
While international pressure for the full participation of women in
Afghanistan's new government will continue, U.S. officials emphasize
that the decisions on the government structure are for Afghans
themselves to make.
"The future shape of Afghanistan will fundamentally be determined by
the people of Afghanistan," Ari Fleischer told reporters at a November
27 White House briefing. "We cannot dictate every day's events to
everybody all through Afghanistan, but the president will speak out
clearly about the need for people in Afghanistan to follow human
rights procedures and treat people well, including the women of
Afghanistan."
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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