Military

DATE=1/10/2002

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-285090

TITLE= PAK / AFGHAN (L Only)

BYLINE=AYAZ GUL

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Afghanistan's finance minister has ruled out any extension of the interim government's six-month term in office. As Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad, the minister made the comments during his first official visit to Pakistan.

TEXT: Finance Minister Hedayat Amin Arsala told reporters in the Pakistani

capital (Thursday) that the Afghan government will stick to the U-N-mediated

Bonn agreement that outlined the country's political future.

/// ARSALA ACT ///

What is critical is that we complete the political process that we have

agreed on and within six months we must have a Loya Jirga (grand assembly)

that we have agreed on so that the people of Afghanistan will decide as to

what kind of government, what form of government they want, what kind of

leadership they want.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Arsala says the interim government will try its best to lay sound

foundations for the reconstruction of war-shattered Afghanistan.

/// ARSALA ACT ///

We will do our best to do whatever we can to lay the foundations for future

reconstruction. But in no way will we think in terms of extending our term

in order to be able to complete the process.

/// END ACT ///

Finance Minister Arsala used his first official visit to Islamabad to meet with

his Pakistani counterpart Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister

Abdul Sattar. He is the first official from Afghanistan's new government

to visit Pakistan.

Afghanistan's interim administration headed by Hamid Karzai took office last

month after relentless U-S air strikes ousted the Islamic Taleban from

power. (SIGNED)

NEB/AG/KBK