JOSCHKA FISCHER PLEDGES MORE TRROPS AND MONEY FOR AFGHANISTAN
KABOL 26 Nov. (IPS) Germany’s Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer called on the international community to help Afghanistan reconstruct its war-shattered economy and assured that Germany would provide more troops and money to the war-torn nation.
The German popular minister was speaking Tuesday at a joint news conference in Kabol with Afghan Prime Minister Hamed Karzai.
Mr. Fischer had arrived earlier to the Afghan capital, coming from Tashkent,
in neighbouring Uzbakistan.
He pledged to send more troops to Afghanistan ahead of taking over, from the Turks, the command of international forces in the war-torn Asian nation.
"Since the war on terrorism is almost finished in Afghanistan, now it is time for all donors nations to help the country rebuild its economy and re-organise its national army and police forces", Mr. Fischer said, after having met with both Mr. Karzai and Dr. Abdollah Abdollah, the Afghan Foreign Affairs Minster.
Informed sources said the question of security in Afghanistan was the most important subject the two sides discussed. "It is believed that Mr. Fischer did not agreed with the idea to deploy international forces in other parts of the country", the source said.
He also paid visit to the 1.400 German and Dutch soldiers and officers stationed in Kabol as part of the 5.000-strong United Nations International Forces and conversed with senior UN officials.
The current commander of the force, General Zorlu of Turkey, is on record as having said that he expects international troops will need to be in the capital for another two to three years.
"Our option is to help build up the Afghan police and army to engage ourselves in building up the army. This is crucial not only for security in Kabol but elsewhere in the country", Mr Fischer said.
His remarks were welcomed by Mr Karzai who said Germany was one of the Afghan’s best friends and expressed hopes to see Berlin continue to lead the international force in Kabul for a year or even more.
He also announced that he would, with most of his ministers, take part in the next meeting to be held early December in Petersberg, near Bonn, were feuding Afghan groups had met last year and, encouraged by the United Nations, named Hamed Karzai as the future interim Prime Minister.
At the meeting it is expected that the main players in Afghan politics and their international supporters will address the lingering threats to Afghan security and plan the next stages of the country's recovery. FISCHER VISIT KABOL 261102