International
Aid tied to Bonn agreement
By Amit Baruah
TOKYO, Jan. 22. The disbursal of the $4.5 billion pledged by international donors to Afghanistan will be contingent upon the full implementation of the Bonn agreement, which sets the benchmarks on the Afghan political process.
A summary of conclusions issued after the two-day international conference on Afghanistan here left no doubt in mind that Afghan unity was a must for disbursal of aid. Assistance will be conditional on all Afghan parties contributing positively to the process and goals agreed in Bonn with the aim of establishing peace, representative governance and stability in Afghanistan, and eliminating terrorism and narcotics production and trafficking, the document said. It said while the aid had been committed in the long-term, $1.8 billion would be made available to Afghanistan in 2002. Clearly, the international donor community wants to send a message to the Afghan groups that unity is all important and the factions in the interim authority must at all costs work together in the interests of the people of the shattered country.
Addressing a joint press meet at the end of the conference, the Afghan Reconstruction Minister, Amin Farhan, said the loya jirga would be held on June 21 in Afghanistan with the former King Zahir Shah in attendance. The deputy chairman of the Afghan Interim Administration and Finance Minister, Hidayat Amin Arsala, thanked the donor community for the contribution that they had made to the people of Afghanistan. He said unless the Bonn process was implemented fully, all the development aid promised to rebuild Afghanistan would come to nought.
The Japanese co-chair of the conference, Sadako Ogata, said the meeting had concluded with "great success" with 61 countries and 21 donor agencies in attendance. For his part, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, claimed that the reconstruction of Afghanistan was part and parcel of the war against terrorism. The document released by the four co-chairs sets out the following priority areas for reconstruction — enhancement of administrative capacity; education, especially for girls; health and sanitation; infrastructure; reconstruction of the economic system and agriculture and rural development. There was a recognition that the United Nations should continue to play a "pivotal role", the document stated.
Interestingly, however, there was no representative from the United Nations at the joint press conference. There was appreciation, however, for the role played by Lakhdar Brahimi, special representative of the U.N. Secretary-General. The document said existing mechanisms would be a primary vehicle for major donors in the task of reconstruction. In addition, a single trust fund will be established, administration of which will be entrusted to the World Bank. Decisions about allocation of expenditures will be the responsibility of the World Bank, UNDP, Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank in co-operation with the Government of Afghanistan and in consultation with the special representative of the Secretary-General.
Asked why the issue of security was not included in the list of priorities that had been set out in the co-chairs' document, Ms.Ogata said there was considerable discussion on the issue of security.
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