Military

DATE=12-24-03

TYPE=INTERVIEW

NUMBER=3-842

TITLE=AFGHANISTAN

BYLINE-JIM BERTEL

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

The building of this road, the completion of the first layer of asphalt on this road, "is" the headline of the reconstruction effort. It is the single biggest and most visible manifestation of our reconstruction effort. However, it's only the headline. When you go down into it, and you see the clinics and the schools and the wells that are being dug, the people whose lives are actually being changed, that's the real reconstruction. And that's the important thing for the Government of Afghanistan to be able to show to its people, that it is providing, through the international community, these services.

MR. BERTEL

Security is an ongoing problem in Afghanistan. This week U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, "The future of Afghanistan will be at risk unless the security situation is brought under control." Is enough being done to address the security concerns?

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

Security actually in most of the country, in probably two-thirds of the country, is okay, is pretty good. Security in the other third, and it's fairly well identified geographically, is not so good. The third where the security is not good is in the south and southeast. It's right along the border with Pakistan. The Taliban are indeed making additional attacks and coming across the border to kidnap people and assassinate people and harass the Afghans. That's where we need to focus. And that's where our military is taking extraordinary measures to address that security situation.

Is enough being done? We need to do more.

MR. BERTEL

With the Loya Jirga continuing to work on the new constitution. Are you confident the country will be prepared to have a strong democracy as we head into elections next year?

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

I am confident that the Afghan people are taking this seriously. This constitutional Loya Jirga has drawn people from all over the country. They were elected around the country, even in the parts of the country that I mentioned earlier are not as secure as we would like. So they have braved some serious problems in order to come to this constitutional Loya Jirga. They're taking it very seriously. They are in the process now of going through the 160 articles that are in this draft constitution. And they are going to have a democracy. They're going to have a republic. They're going to have a government that they can be proud of, that they support from around the country.

You're right -- the next big test is the election. And it's probably going to be a presidential election. We think it's about next June. There is a lot of work to be done before then, both on the political side but also just on the voter registration side. But I am confident that they're going in the right direction and that they're very committed to these processes.

MR. BERTEL

Afghan officials have estimated it's going to take $30 billion to rebuild Afghanistan, which is about three times what we thought a year ago at the Donors Conference. With this price tag and the growing costs in Iraq, are donor nations committed to stepping up and helping in the reconstruction effort in Afghanistan?

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

Donor nations have been able to provide the amount of money that was necessary at the time. So, two years ago they came forward in Tokyo and pledged $5 billion. And that $5 billion has now been pretty much spent, pretty much committed, and is in progress. Now, donor nations, including the United States, need to step up and provide additional funds. If it eventually gets to $30 billion, as the government -- or at least as the finance minister -- has said, then fine. But that's over several years. That's probably over five or eight years. And what we need to do right now is maintain the commitment, the international community needs to continue to provide the funds as they are needed on a year-to-year basis.

MR. BERTEL

I'd like to come back to security for just a moment. One of the pilot programs that is going on right now is a disarmament effort among the Afghan militia. It's a pilot program at this point. How successful has that been?

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

So far, surprisingly successful. There are actually three pilots going on right now, one in Kondoz, one in Mazar, Mazar-e Sharif, and also down in Gardez, in the Pashtun area. And all of these have seen the local commanders bring their troops up, turn in weapons, get a cash payment as well as food, clothes, training, farm equipment, additional education. These kinds of things are exactly the kinds of activities that we hoped would happen under this disarmament, demobilization and reintegration program that has been going on in the pilot phase.

It will accelerate. It's going to be expanded to other cities. And then a broad-based disarmament program will follow on from this pilot.

MR. BERTEL

In October, you testified before Congress, and you said that we are at a defining moment in Afghanistan. Are you optimistic that the many challenges that we face in Afghanistan can be overcome?

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

You have to be optimistic in this business. But I am optimistic that the combination that we have right now, that is, a committed government, a very willing and eager Afghan people, the international community that's working together, the U.N., that is a strong force there, as well as the United States, with a strong commitment to President Karzai and his administration, that combination can work and is working. It has challenges. It is going to be difficult, as we know. Several people have said failure is not an option. It's still possible. We have a lot of work to do. But I am optimistic that we will come through it with that team that I described.

MR. BERTEL

Ambassador Bill Taylor, thank you for taking time to speak with us.

AMBASSADOR WILLIAMS

Thank you. Good to be here.

NEB/PT