AFGHANISTAN: U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHMARD ARMITAGE USES VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN TO REINFORCE U.S. SUPPORT FOR THE WAR-TORN NATION
Record ID:
223016
AFGHANISTAN: U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHMARD ARMITAGE USES VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN TO REINFORCE U.S. SUPPORT FOR THE WAR-TORN NATION
- Title: AFGHANISTAN: U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHMARD ARMITAGE USES VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN TO REINFORCE U.S. SUPPORT FOR THE WAR-TORN NATION
- Date: 5th October 2003
- Summary: (U4) KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN (OCTOBER 5, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV UNITED STATES DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE RICHARD ARMITAGE WALKS ACROSS TARMAC AT KANDAHAR AIRPORT 0.17 2. MCU (English) ARMITAGE SAYING: "The United States government has just embarked on a major acceleration of support for the people of Afghanistan, an increase of our assistance by 1:2 billion dollars and this would be one of the main areas which receives assistance and I wanted to share views with the governor " 0.34 3. SV ARMITAGE WITH OFFICIALS INSIDE AIRPORT BUILDING 0.42 4. MCU (English) ARMITAGE SAYING: "It is for the whole country. Governor Pashtun had made it very clear that he has 5 priorities for Kandahar, I think to a large extent we will be able to address most of those priorities, but the money is not exclusively for Kandahar. In fact this year alone, by the end of the year the United States will have invested 2 billion dollars into success for Afghanistan." 1.04 5. SV ARMITAGE SHAKING HANDS WITH OFFICIALS 1.13 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 20th October 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Reuters ID: LVA5L1CG2QHVA4IY7TFJOS8P2U1G
- Story Text: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage uses visit to Afghanistan to reinforce U.S. support for the
war-torn nation as it grapples with its worst violence in
almost two years.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met
Afghan officials on Sunday (October 5) to reinforce
Washington's commitment to Afghanistan's peace process
after its bloodiest period since the fall of the Taliban.
Armitage began his one-day trip in Kandahar, a former
Taliban stronghold, and capital of the restive southern
province of the same name bordering Pakistan which has been
a focus of stepped up guerrilla attacks by the Islamic
militants.
He held talks with Kandahar governor Yusuf Pashtun,
before heading to Kabul to meet the commander of the
NATO-led peacekeeping force, President Hamid Karzai and
other officials.
In Kandahar, Armitage told reporters new U.S. aid
pledged to Afghanistan would go towards reconstruction and
that Pashtun had requested help to provide power, schools
and roads.
At the airport after talks with Kandahar Governor
Yusuf Pashtun, Armitage said the United States government
had "just embarked on a major acceleration of support for
the people of Afghanistan" and that it was increasing its
assistance by 1.2 billion dollars. He said Kandahar "would
be one of the main areas which receives assistance".
With reference to five priorities which Armitage said
that Governor Pashtun had outlined to him, the U.S. deputy
secretary of state said: "I think to a large extent we will
be able to address most of those priorities. However
Armitage stressed that "the money is not exclusively for
Kandahar". Armitage pointed out that "this year alone, by
the end of the year the United States will have invested 2
billion dollars into success for Afghanistan."
More than 300 people, including aid workers, U.S.
soldiers and many Taliban guerrillas have been killed since
the start of August, the bloodiest period since the
overthrow of the Taliban by U.S.-led forces in late 2001.
On Sunday, a United Nations statement condemned an
attack near Kandahar city on Saturday in which a driver
from an Afghan demining agency was wounded when assailants
opened fire on his vehicle. It said worsening security
frustrated aid work.
The U.S. embassy said Armitage aimed to reinforce the
U.S. commitment to a secure Afghanistan and support for
full implementation of the Bonn Agreement which mapped out
the country's political future after the overthrow of the
Taliban.
It said this included plans to hold a Loya Jirga, or
"grand assembly", in December to approve a new
constitution, elections next year, and accelerated efforts
by the United States and the international community to
assist post-war reconstruction.
The spate of violence comes as the United States
struggles with resistance in Iraq, and after a two-year
U.S.-led military campaign that began on October 7, 2001
has failed to net either al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden or
Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
The United Nations and the Afghan government have
called repeatedly for an expansion of a NATO-led
multinational peacekeeping force from Kabul to Afghan
restive provinces, and the issue is currently under debate
in Brussels.
The United States has said it supports an expanded NATO
role.
On Monday, Armitage will be in Pakistan for talks with
President Pervez Musharraf having said in the past week
that some in Pakistan's security community were less than
enthusiastic about working with the United States despite
their country's status as a key ally in the U.S.-led war on
terror.
U.S. and Afghan officials believe militants have
launched attacks in Afghanistan from Pakistan's rugged
tribal areas.
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Omar Samad told
Reuters Kabul was pleased by a border operation that
Pakistan launched on Thursday in which its forces killed
eight suspected al Qaeda fighters and arrested 18 others
near the border.
But he reiterated Afghanistan's view that Pakistan
could do "much more" in the battle against Taliban, al
Qaeda and allied militants. "We do consider their latest
step to be positive, but we do hope to see more," he said.
Pakistan says it is doing all it can, citing the
arrests of some 500 al Qaeda and Taliban suspects since the
U.S.-led war on terror was launched after the September 11,
2001 attacks.
ends
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