Military

DATE=4/23/04

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=AFGHANISTAN AID (L-O)

NUMBER=2-315292

BYLINE=MICHAEL KITCHEN

DATELINE=ISLAMABAD

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Afghanistan says this week's meeting of donor representatives was a success. V-O-A's Michael Kitchen reports from neighboring Pakistan, the Afghan finance minister says all major reconstruction projects for the country should receive full funding.

TEXT: Speaking at the close of the three-day Afghan Development Forum, Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani said donors expressed full confidence in Afghanistan's ability to manage the aid dollars it receives.

Earlier this month, more than 60 nations and aid organizations met in Berlin to pledge over eight billion dollars for Afghanistan, as it tries to rebuild after more than two decades of war.

Mr. Ghani says donor representatives meeting in Kabul this week agreed the Afghan government will take the lead in deciding how that money is spent.

/// GHANI ACT ///

The Afghan government is in charge of the developmental agenda, and all the donors have accepted that this process should, as it must, be led by the government.

/// END ACT ///

In recent months, the Afghan government has taken measures aimed at rooting out corruption within its ranks, including an investigation into a real estate scandal in the capital.

Afghan officials say the support from the Berlin donors' conference has eased fears of waning international interest in Afghanistan's reconstruction.

Mr. Ghani says some countries have already begun making payments on their aid pledges, and he feels confident the country will be able to meet its financial needs over the coming year.

/// GHANI ACT ///

I'm very, very encouraged, and the trend is going (in) exactly the right direction.

/// END ACT ///

Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest nations, with an average yearly income of just seven hundred dollars per person.

The government is attempting to rebuild basic infrastructure and schools and to replace local militia units with a trained national police force. (SIGNED)

NEB/HK/MK/KPD