More than two years after the Taliban was ousted from power, the international community regrouped yesterday in Berlin to shore up Afghanistan's fragile reconstruction process and assess its needs for the future.
Officials from participating countries and organizations talk hopefully of US$4 billion being pledged; of peacekeepers deploying in the lawless provinces; of a new commitment to tackle rampant narcotics production; and of financial aid for forthcoming elections.
Aware of the international support for his administration, Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke here on Tuesday of a vision that within a decade, Afghanistan "will no longer be a burden on the shoulders of the world."
He warned, however, that there was virtually no prospect of his building a "safer and better" country unless the international community found US$27 billion for its reconstruction.
"We have a plan for Afghanistan to take our country by the year 2014 to a higher income per capita, a higher state of legitimacy, a direct democracy for our people and more stability and peace," he said.
Karzai arrived in the German capital after declaring that presidential and parliamentary elections are to be held in September, three months later than originally planned but still a sign of progress.
Yet the country's record is blighted by violence, notably from remnants of the ousted Taliban, a thriving narcotics industry and a lingering problem of warlords ruling the roost in outlying provinces.
The two-day talks are being co-chaired by the UN, Afghanistan, Germany and Japan and drawing hundreds of ministers and officials from some 60 countries and organizations, including 20 foreign ministers.
They will focus on stabilizing Karzai's government, boosting its authority in the restive regions, stepping up security, tackling drugs and intensifying humanitarian and financial aid.
German Overseas Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said Kabul could receive pledges of a total of around US$9 billion spread over three years.
Other officials say it would be a success if four billion in short-term aid could be pledged.
Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani, who is also in Berlin, has said that US$27.5 billion would be needed in the next seven years and that previous pledges "vastly underestimated" Afghanistan's needs.
NATO has indicated it is willing in principle to roll out its forces beyond the Kabul region, and the alliance's secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, another participant here, may make an announcement to that end.
Mark Malloch Brown, administrator of the UN Development Program, said it was essential for troops to spread out in order to ensure fair elections.
"If you're looking for two criteria of success for this meeting," he said, "one is obviously what is said on the reconstruction and international financial support, but the second is do we move forward on this NATO commitment?
REBUILDING: A researcher said that it might seem counterintuitive to start talking about reconstruction amid the war with Russia, but it is ‘actually an urgent priority’ Italy is hosting the fourth annual conference on rebuilding Ukraine even as Russia escalates its war, inviting political and business leaders to Rome to promote public-private partnerships on defense, mining, energy and other projects as uncertainty grows about the US’ commitment to Kyiv’s defense. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were opening the meeting yesterday, which gets under way as Russia accelerated its aerial and ground attacks against Ukraine with another night of pounding missile and drone attacks on Kyiv. Italian organizers said that 100 official delegations were attending, as were 40 international organizations and development banks. There are
TARIFF ACTION: The US embassy said that the ‘political persecution’ against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro disrespects the democratic traditions of the nation The US and Brazil on Wednesday escalated their row over US President Donald Trump’s support for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, with Washington slapping a 50 percent tariff on one of its main steel suppliers. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva threatened to reciprocate. Trump has criticized the prosecution of Bolsonaro, who is on trial for allegedly plotting to cling on to power after losing 2022 elections to Lula. Brasilia on Wednesday summoned Washington’s top envoy to the country to explain an embassy statement describing Bolsonaro as a victim of “political persecution” — echoing Trump’s description of the treatment of Bolsonaro as
The tale of a middle-aged Chinese man, or “uncle,” who disguised himself as a woman to secretly film and share videos of his hookups with more than 1,000 men shook China’s social media, spurring fears for public health, privacy and marital fidelity. The hashtag “red uncle” was the top trending item on China’s popular microblog Sina Weibo yesterday, drawing at least 200 million views as users expressed incredulity and shock. The online posts told of how the man in the eastern city of Nanjing had lured 1,691 heterosexual men into sexual encounters at his home that he then recorded and distributed online. The
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
RSS