Taliban media: US issues 'fact-sheet'

By Shaheen Sehbai

Dawn
WASHINGTON, Nov 30: The US State Department on Tuesday issued a detailed fact-sheet to clarify what it called "distortions" created by the Taliban-controlled mass media in Afghanistan and even some Pakistani newspapers about UN sanctions on Taliban.

"The Taliban-controlled mass media in Afghanistan, regional, and international media are distorting the content and expected effects of the sanctions against the Taliban unanimously imposed by the UN - including by Bahrain, Malaysia and China," the fact-sheet said.

Detailing the most common distortions, described in the fact- sheet as "fallacies" the State Department gave para by para replies to each "fallacy" to "counter these untruths."

The main fallacies listed include the charges that the UN sanctions were aimed against the people of Afghanistan; that the US wanted to impose its own puppet regime of enslavement on Afghans to prevent the introduction of Shariat; that the US is anti-Islam, that UN sanctions will devastate health care in Afghanistan or because of the sanctions, trade will dry up and, consequently, thousands of Pakistanis will lose their jobs.

It also listed as a fallacy a comment in Dawn which said the US refuses to talk to the Taliban and it showed indecent haste in imposing sanctions and not giving mediation a chance.

Countering these fallacies with "facts" the fact-sheet said UN sanctions were not against Afghanistan or against the Afghan people. "The Taliban movement, which refuses to cooperate with the international community, is the target of the sanctions," it said.

On the charge of imposing a puppet regime in Afghanistan, it said the fact was that the resolution which was adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council, including US, Bahrain, Malaysia, China, and 11 other countries, was solely focused on terrorism.

"The text of the resolution explicitly states respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan," it said.

Refuting that the US was anti-Islam, the fact-sheet said: "The US, and the international community, as represented by the UN Security Council, have no quarrel with Islam. Islam is one of the fastest-growing faiths in the US. Over six million Muslims practice their faith freely in hundreds of mosques in the US."

Denying that the UN sanctions will devastate health care in Afghanistan, the fact-sheet said: "The UN sanctions were carefully crafted to minimize the impact on the Afghan people. They allow humanitarian activity and private trade to continue. Almost all trade in Afghanistan is conducted by the private sector. Traders are free to continue to import medicine and medical supplies into Afghanistan. Even before the sanctions took effect, it was the Taliban itself which refused to supply minimally acceptable health care to the people of Afghanistan, preferring to expend its resources to continue the senseless civil war."

On the question of thousands of Pakistanis losing their jobs as trade with Afghanistan will dry up, the fact sheet said: "The UN Sanctions do not address private trade. They target only the aircraft, bank accounts, and other financial assets of the Taliban. Private trade will continue, as it always has in Afghanistan."

Denying that poverty will soar in Afghanistan, the fact-sheet said there was no reason for sanctions to affect remittances to ordinary citizens. "The Universal Postal Union has already offered to help Afghanistan receive mail by overland routes. If the Taliban wish to cooperate in this effort, it can. Furthermore, most remittances reach Afghanistan through the informal banking system of transfers by money-changers (hundi), which is commonly used in the Middle East and South Asia."

On the comment by Dawn that the US refuses to talk to Taliban, the fact-sheet said: "The UN Security Council Resolution 1267 is clear. In order for UN sanctions to be lifted, Osama bin Laden must be turned over to authorities in a country where he can be brought to justice.

"The US has met with various Taliban officials more than 20 times. To date, our discussions with the Taliban have not resulted in any resolution of the matter of bin Laden, but we are prepared to continue these discussions."

Countering the accusation that the US wanted to use the UN sanctions to starve the Afghan people into submission, the fact- sheet said: "Almost all trade in foodstuffs is conducted by the private sector in Afghanistan. The UN sanctions do not prohibit private trade. Further, neither US nor UN sanctions prohibit the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including food, to Afghanistan. In fact, in response to the most recent food crisis caused by the dramatic increase of internally displaced persons as a result of the Taliban military offensives and of their scorched-earth policy, the US has pledged $575,000 and is considering additional contributions which will likely total over $1 million for emergency humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

"This year," it said, "the U.S. provided the ICRC with $47.8 million for its South Asia programmes, the bulk of which is used to respond to conflict victims and internally displaced persons in Afghanistan. US assistance for Afghans inside and outside their country in this past fiscal year totalled over $70 million.

The US urges the Taliban to ensure that food assistance reaches the neediest in Afghanistan, including women and children and those families who have been displaced by the Taliban military operations.