Fresh U.S. aid package for Afghanistan

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, OCT. 4. The U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, is giving $320m in fresh humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries.

``America will stand strong and will oppose the sponsors of terror; and America will stand strong to help those people who are hurt by those regimes,'' the President said in remarks to employees of the State Department during a visit.

The package proposed by the President includes $295m in new assistance that is being pledged to the Afghan people suffering in the country for a variety of reasons. The funds are also earmarked to help those refugees in neighbouring Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Last week, Mr. Bush allocated $25m for emergency relief for Afghan refugees.

The U.S. is quite aware of the kind of challenges faced by the Afghan people at this time, especially with winter around the corner. ``We will stand strong on the side of good, and we expect other nations to join us. This is our way of saying while we firmly and strongly oppose the Taliban regime, we are friends of the Afghan people,'' the President remarked.

Mr. Bush reminded the nation that America was compassionate ``but our compassion is limited''. Politically the President continued with his coalition against terrorism by meeting or talking by phone with world leaders. On Thursday, Mr. Bush met his counterpart from Mexico, Mr. Vincente Fox, and is meeting the Emir of Qatar.

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Section  : International
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