Military

DATE=3/4/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

NUMBER=2-287124

TITLE=U-N AID / AFGHANISTAN (L-O)

BYLINE=DALE GAVLAK

DATELINE=GENEVA

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The United Nations says donor countries must step up delivery of more than one-billion-dollars pledged to help rebuild Afghanistan. U-N officials say Afghanistan's agriculture, health, and education sectors must be reconstructed. Dale Gavlak reports from Geneva, the U-N humanitarian base of operations.

TEXT: The Afghan Support Group oversees humanitarian assistance and funding for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. It says only 600-million-dollars has been received and there is a shortfall of nearly one-point-two-billion dollars.

It is urging donors to quickly make good on their pledges so that money will be available for education, food distribution, to buy seeds for spring planting, and for de-mining operations necessary for agriculture and road building.

Afghan Minister for Planning Mohamed Mohaqeq, attending the Support Group meeting in Geneva, says these areas require immediate attention. He says hundreds-of-thousands of Afghans are expected to return home. He spoke through a translator.

/// MOHAQEQ ACT IN ENGLISH; AVAILABLE IN DARI ///

Especially with the start of the spring season, the people will come to Afghanistan. The people who do not have anything, their houses are already burned. They do not have any infrastructure for their lives so we will have to prepare the ground for their harmonious life and they should come with dignity. They should come voluntarily and they should come and should not face a lot of problems in their homeland.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Mohaqeq says the supply of food remains critical. Top U-N official Nigel Fisher reports there is chronic malnutrition, especially northern and southeastern Afghanistan. He says that the World Food Program has mainly fulfilled its goals for food aid delivery during the past few months, but more must be done.

/// FISHER ACT ///

There is need for additional food and there is need to perhaps complement the basic wheat flour by other things, pulses, oil and so on and that perhaps the wheat flour needs to be fortified because they are micro-nutrient deficiencies that are also emerging, whether it is anemia, iron-deficiency and so on.

/// END ACT ///

Mr. Fisher says U-N agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross are aiding earthquake victims in northern Afghanistan. Sunday's earthquake measured seven-point-two on the Richter scale and has resulted in landslides and flooding.

World Food Program helicopters are carrying 22-tons of food and emergency medical supplies to trapped victims. (SIGNED)

NEB/DG/RAE