December 22, 2000

Afghan opposition urge Taliban to cooperate with UN
KABUL, Dec 21 (AFP) - Afghanistan's opposition groups Thursday urged their puritanical Taliban foes to comply with United Nations' demands on alleged terrorism before new sanctions come into force.

Taliban accuse US and Russia of violating int norms
ISLAMABAD, December 22 (Itar-Tass) - Afghanistan's Taliban movement has sharply criticises the United States and Russia, accusing them of violating international norms and principles.

New UN sanctions against Taliban will not affect aid: Russia
MOSCOW, Dec 21 (AFP) - The new UN sanctions against the ruling Taliban militia in Afghanistan will not hinder international humanitarian aid from entering the country, the Russian foreign ministry said Thursday.

U.S. said to prepare attack against bin Laden
LONDON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The United States was thought to be preparing an attack on positions in Afghanistan belonging to followers of Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden in response to the bombing of a U.S.

Britain fought to block UN sanctions against Taliban
The Guardian (UK)
Ewen MacAskill, diplomatic editor Friday December 22, 2000
Britain privately opposed the fresh round of United Nations sanctions imposed against Afghanistan this week, according to a security council source yesterday. Although Britain voted for the sanctions

Pakistan to respect UN sanctions on Taliban, fears influx of refugees
ISLAMABAD (NNI): Pakistan Thursday announced to respect the UN Security Council resolution, imposing sanctions on Taliban but feared that the one-sided arms embargo will encourage the anti-Taliban alliance to intensify military operations.

Pakistani Religious parties slam UN sanctions - DAWN
PESHAWAR, Dec 21: Religio-political parties have condemned the United Nations sanctions on Afghanistan and termed it disastrous not only for the war-ravaged country but equally

UN funding hole threatens refugees - BBC
The United Nations refugee agency has said it needs $44.5 million to help refugees in south-west Asia. A spokesman said the agency was concerned about four million people, 2.6 million of whom were Afghans.

Hungry Afghans Reach U.N. Camps
By KATHY GANNON
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Thousands of hungry Afghans, driven from their homes by the region's worst drought in 30 years, are arriving at U.N. food camps in western Afghanistan, the United Nations said Friday.

UN expresses concern over the plight of Afghans
By Tahir Ikram
ISLAMABAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The U.N. coordinator office for Afghanistan expressed concern over internally displaced Afghans on Friday, saying insufficient response to funding requests have made conditions poor in camps.

UNHCR Afghan work made difficult by donor fatigue
By Tahir Ikram
ISLAMABAD, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The U.N. High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) said donor apathy was making its support work for refugees of sanctions-hit Afghanistan more difficult.

WFP ships food aid to Afghanistan through Iran
TEHRAN, Dec 21 (Reuters) - The World Food Programme said it had begun to ship food aid through Iran to war-torn neighbour Afghanistan to fight a potential famine brought on by the worst drought in 30 years.

It is unwise to scorn on world consensus - Frontier Post Editorial 12/22/00
Is there nobody in the government of Pakistan or in elsewhere in Pakistan to help the Taliban get out of the mental prison in which they have confined themselves in the belief that they are holding

Afghan Taleban frees BBC employee
KABUL, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Afghanistan's ruling Taleban movement released a local employee of the British Broadcasting Corporation, Saboor Salehzay, whom it had arrested five days ago for doing the job without official permission.

FEATURE/Mummified Princess is a Fraud
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Dec. 21, 2000--
Cool $11 Million was Sought On Black Market
A mummy adorned with a cuneiform-inscribed gold plaque identifying it as a 2,600-year-old Persian princess is a fraud, according to an exclusive report in the January/February issue of ARCHAEOLOGY Magazine.

Tightening noose
The Hindustan Times (India) Editorial
The Taliban were put on notice by the international community by the decision of the United Nations Security Council to impose further economic and diplomatic sanctions on Afghanistan on Tuesday.