A Peaceful Afghanistan Is an Anchor for Political Stability

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder opened the Afghanistan conference in Berlin on Wednesday by pledging to Afghan President Hamid Karzai that the international community would not abandon his country, one of the world's poorest and the biggest opium supplier.

Karzai, who was seated next to the chancellor at the top table, which also included the U.N. Afghanistan envoy Jean Arnault, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and the foreign ministers of Britain, China, Germany, Pakistan and Russia, listened intently as Schröder delivered his opening speech.

"A peaceful Afghanistan is an anchor for greater political stability in the region and a sign of hope for us all," Schröder told the assembled dignitaries and press. "It is proof that it is worth fighting against terror and violence."

The two-day conference is the third such international meeting on Afghanistan since the end of the U.S.-led war.

The conference will address ways to stabilize the country's political and economic reconstruction. It will also tackle the problems of insecurity and drugs production plaguing the country despite the ousting of the Taliban regime more than two years ago.

Chancellor Schröder highlighted the three main goals of the conference: to support the political progress, including elections planned for September; to increase aid for the country's reconstruction; and to help the Kabul government establish security and the rule of law.

Schröder rallies international community

He also used the speech to rally those countries that had already supported reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan by reminding the hundreds of delegates, including 20 foreign ministers and officials from more than 60 countries and organizations, that there had been many successes in spite of the difficult conditions that still prevailed.

"The positive developments in Afghanistan show what can be achieved when we combine our efforts," he said. "Every success that we score in bringing Afghanistan on a path towards more freedom and security is not only progress for people in the country. It is a success for us all."

In his speech later in the day, Karzai said his country had come a long way since the fall of the Taliban, with a constitution that reflected a desire to be partners with the
international community and no longer "threatened by drugs and terrorism."

"What we have achieved is very promising, but let me be
frank and say that the reconstruction has only begun," Karzai told the gathering.

Federal government extends financial aid

On the subject of financial assistance, Schröder vowed that Germany would contribute €320 million ($389.5 million) over the next four years to boost the reconstruction process in Afghanistan. The amount of financial aid by the German government since September 2001 will eventually total €7.4 billion.

Sadako Ogata, Japan's envoy to Afghanistan, followed Schröder's lead by pledging $400 million (€328.6 million) over the next two years. "I am pleased to announce that Japan is prepared to make further grant assistance amounting to $400 million over the coming two years, which brings Japan's contribution since September 2001 to over $1 billion," she said. Earlier this month, Japan said its financial assistance to Afghanistan had reached $683 million, exceeding an initial pledge of $500 million.

Reconstruction funds a priority

Before the conference began, officials from participating countries and organizations spoke hopefully of raising $4 billion after Afghan ministers called for more direct aid and investment. Afghan Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani told the Handelsblatt business daily on Tuesday that he was content with the international commitment so far, but more was necessary.

He said earlier this month that $27.5 billion would be needed in the next seven years and previous promises "vastly underestimated" Afghanistan's needs.

Reconstruction Minister Amin Farhang added in an interview with Germany's InfoRadio that he hoped the promised money would go directly to the Kabul government instead of mainly to non-governmental organizations. Farhang told the radio station that Afghanistan needed around $4.5 billion for this year, which would help train the Afghan army and police force to tackle the rampant drugs problem controlled largely by influential provincial warlords.

Germany's pledge of more financial aid came hours after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell praised German efforts in aiding Afghanistan.

Powell praises German efforts

In an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, Powell said, "It is in no small part thanks to Germany's engagement that Afghanistan has made the progress it has that we want to pay tribute to at this international conference."

"Germany has shown vision and leadership quality," he added. "Germany can be especially proud of the stationing of Bundeswehr soldiers in Kunduz, where the German soldiers were the first to lead a provincial reconstruction team in the framework of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force)."