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Powell Presses for More Afghan Aid
Thursday, September 26, 2002
By Sonya Ross
Associated Press Writer

The United States has sent most of the $296 million it promised in Tokyo, and approved about $280 million in additional aid this year, Powell said. Of the new money, $33 million would go toward easing the government's budget deficit and the rest will fund humanitarian aid, road-building, law enforcement and counternarcotics, and training a national army, Powell said.

WASHINGTON -- AP
Secretary of State Colin Powell said Afghanistan is still weak and vulnerable to warlords, and appealed Thursday for countries to "take a hard look" at providing more than the $4.5 billion already promised for rebuilding.

Powell told a World Bank group on Afghan reconstruction that the government in Kabul has a cash crunch and needs immediate help in establishing institutions, from a judiciary to a military, that can maintain democratic rule.

"We must all help the transitional administration tighten the reins of legitimate power," Powell said. "There are those in Afghanistan who stand to profit from continued instability, and seek to empower themselves by exploiting the country's weaknesses. Afghanistan has not survived foreign invasions, civil war and Taliban oppression only to be torn apart by warlordism. We will not allow that to happen."

Afghan government officials have been concerned about the flow of the reconstruction aid promised by donor nations during a summit in Tokyo in January. Afghanistan had anticipated receiving $1.8 billion in foreign assistance this year but so far has gotten only about half that amount.
(More: Miami.com News Source)
2002 © The Associated Press.

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