Brussels, 15/05/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission took two decisions on funding for Afghanistan which act on its pledge to continue to provide aid to the country's reconstruction.
The first decision, taken under the rapid intervention mechanism for civil crisis management, concerns the granting of an additional 5.9 million to the interim Afghan Authority (20 million euro had already been released in January by the Commission as initial aid paid to the UNDP) to help develop its institutional capabilities and re-establish confidence among the population's ethnic groups. These new funds will be spread as follows: 2.5 million euro in technical assistance to the Afghan Aid Co-ordination Authority (AACA) responsible for co-ordinating aid provided by different donors); 2.2 million euro to enhance the role of the interim Afghan Authority in various ways: - rehabilitation of governmental services in Mazar-E Charif, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat so that they support programmes generators of employment funded by the Commission; - supply of high-definition satellite pictures for the purposes of urban reconstruction and mine-clearance; 500,000 euro to support the media (development of the written press, access to the population, especially in rural areas, independent information through programmes by the interim Afghan Authority, journalist training); 500,000 euro as contribution to civilian operations undertaken by ISAF (International Security and Assistance force in Afghanistan) for the repair of schools, hospitals and other public infrastructures vital for the country.
The second decision relates to food aid of 29.4 million euro to improve the country's food security. These funds will finance the provision of foodstuffs (in addition to the 24 million euro that the Community has already pledged to pay Afghanistan via the World Food Programme), as well as for seeds, agricultural machinery and fertilisers, in the framework of a project implemented by NGOs to help the rural populations re-launch their system of agricultural production.. This programme will be implemented in close co-operation with local and international players, as well as with the Union's Special envoy to Afghanistan (Hans-Peter Klaiber until the end of June, and then his successor)
Chris Paten on Mission from 20 to 23 May
Chris Patten, European Commissioner for External Relations, is himself to go to get an idea of the implementation of the aid provided to the region since the fall of the Taliban, and the needs by going on a mission to Afghanistan and Pakistan from 20 to 23 May.
In Afghanistan, his visit - the second since 11 September - will have as main goal to assess the ongoing political transformation and the country's needs better to direct the funds pledged to support reconstruction and the democratisation process on which the Union made its aid dependent at the donor conference (in Tokyo in January). Chris Patten will meet the President of the interim Authority, Hamid Karzai, Foreign Minister Abdalullah Abdullah, former King Zahir Sha and the members of the Committee responsible for preparing the Loya Jirga, (the Grand Council that in June will bring together some 1,200 people for ten days in Kabul in view of guaranteeing as large a representation of the populations as possible, to re-balance the composition of the government). The Commissioner will officially inaugurate the Commission's Representation Bureau in Kabul. At a technical briefing, Markus Cornaro, Head of Unit "Afghan and Pakistan" in the Commission, recalled that by taking on a quarter of the international aid pledged to Afghanistan, the Union was one of the main donors. "The Afghan Government must provide for a national development plan with a budget that will enable us to sort out the interventions of the different donors", he added. He also placed emphasis on the need, for the Afghan Government, to provide itself with macroeconomic and budgetary discipline, guaranteeing a transparent public management of the funds.
In Pakistan, Chris Patten is to meet President Pervez Musharraf, Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz, and Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider, as well as representatives of political parties and civil society. EU/Pakistan relations and the restoration of democracy in the country that is moving towards parliamentary elections in October will be at the heart of the talks. On 22 May, Minister Aziz and Commissioner Patten should sign a Financing Convention of 50 million euro for a co-operation programme in the financial services sector, under aid pledged by the Union to thank Pakistan for its collaboration in the international fight against terrorism.