07 April 2004
Afghanistan Hopes To Be Free of Local Militias by July 2005
Ambassador Khalilzad says aid pledged in Berlin reflects donors' confidence
By Stephen Kaufman
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- In an effort to extend the reach of Afghanistan's central government and improve security for the country's elections, the Afghan government has embarked upon a program to demobilize regional militias beyond the control of the government in Kabul, said U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
Speaking April 6 at the National Press Club in Washington, Khalilzad said that under President Hamid Karzai's plan, Afghanistan would no longer have militia groups by the end of June 2005. The demobilization program, he said, has set a goal of eliminating 40 percent of the country's militia groups by the end of June 2004.
"That means that by the end of June of this year, 11 divisions, 13 brigades, 10 regiments and 2 battalions will be completely demobilized under President Karzai's disarmament demobilization and reintegration program," he said.
"Those militia forces will be offered jobs and/or training so they can be integrated back into the Afghan society," said Khalilzad.
The ambassador said the International Conference On Afghanistan, held in Berlin March 31-April 1, was "very successful." Donor nations at the conference pledged $4.5 billion in aid for Afghanistan's 2004 fiscal year and over $8.2 billion for the next three years.
"The $4.5 billion pledged for this year is the same amount that was pledged for two years' period in Japan two years ago and is slightly more than Afghanistan was hoping to get from the international community for this year," he said.
The ambassador said the pledges are a sign that the donors are very pleased with the progress of Afghan reconstruction. He cited dramatic improvements over the past two years, such as the introduction of a stable currency, trained national army and police forces, improvements in health care and education, and the drafting of what he described as "the most enlightened constitution in the Islamic world."
The Afghan economy grew by 30 percent in 2003 and is expected to grow by 20 percent in 2004, he said.
Khalilzad said Afghanistan could eventually return to its traditional role as a regional hub for trade, providing land routes from Central Asia to ports in Pakistan and Iran. He noted that this also would give Afghan products access to markets in the Gulf countries.
The role of the United States, he said, is to help bring the country's infrastructure, such as security, utilities and roads, up to a level that will encourage investment by the Afghan and international private sector.
"President Bush has said we will stay in Afghanistan as long as it takes until the job is done. We will stay until Afghanistan can stand on its own feet and provide for its own security," he said.
The ambassador said Afghanistan's elections for a president and a lower house of parliament, the first since the Taliban was overthrown in late 2001, are now scheduled for September. The elections were originally proposed for June, but Khalilzad said technical reasons forced a delay. He said an interim census of the population is scheduled for completion in mid-July, and officials are seeking to register 2.5 million refugees in Iran and Pakistan to vote in the presidential contest. "Those things take time, manpower and funds," he said.
Khalilzad said the projected number of eligible voters has been reduced from 10.5 million to between 9 and 10 million, based upon the preliminary finding of a survey that found that more of the population than anticipated is below the minimum voting age of 18.
The next phase, he said, is to expand the number of voter registration stations to at least 12,000 sites and hire around 30,000 people to staff them.
Ambassador Khalilzad said the United States has 13 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) currently in operation across the country, with plans to stand up three more by the middle of 2004. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which serves as the primary peacekeeping force in the country, is planning five of its own, he said.
The PRTs, deployed beyond the capital Kabul, provide three benefits, he explained. They offer security, extend the authority of the central government, and facilitate reconstruction, both through the protection they provide to private groups and the reconstruction projects they undertake on their own, he said.
The fight against opium poppy production in the country remains a major challenge for Afghans and the international community, Khalilzad said. Despite this, "we do not accept the view that little or nothing can be done in the short term."
The ambassador said there was a need to provide alternative and lucrative sources of income for current poppy farmers, and suggested growing fruits, nuts, saffron and other products instead. However, for warlords, drug traffickers, and the operators of drug processing labs, Khalilzad said he was "not worried about providing an alternative life."
The ambassador also was questioned about remarks he made April 5 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington in which he reportedly said that U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan would move into Pakistani territory to destroy Taliban and al Qaeda forces if Pakistan's military could not perform the task.
Khalilzad praised Pakistan for the sacrifices its soldiers had made in fighting terrorism, and urged it to continue its efforts, saying the Bush administration was ready to offer assistance if needed.
"These problems have to be dealt with, and Pakistan has said ... that they are perfectly capable of dealing with these problems, and of course that's our preference also," he said.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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