Afghanistan News November 12, 2004

November 12, 2004

Afghan president lauds Arafat, urges new leaders to pursue Mideast peace
Thursday November 11, 3:55 PM AP
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday lauded late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat as a courageous champion of peace in the Middle East and urged his successors to carry forward that legacy.

"Mr. Arafat was a great personality, whose courage and leadership was respected worldwide for well over half a century," Karzai said in a statement.

"He dedicated his life to the Palestinian people and their cause, and strove to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

"While his absence will undoubtedly be felt strongly, I hope that a new generation of leaders will emerge to take forward the cause of peace and stability in the Middle East," Karzai said.

It was unclear if the Afghan leader would attend a military funeral planned in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Friday.

Afghan UN Kidnappers Await Release of 26 Taliban
Thu Nov 11, 7:32 AM ET By David Brunnstrom
KABUL (Reuters) - Kidnappers of three U.N. workers in Afghanistan said on Thursday they expect the government to release 26 Taliban prisoners in exchange for their hostages before the Muslim Eid festival this weekend.

The kidnappers from a Taliban splinter faction have threatened to kill Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo and Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan unless the prisoners, some of whom may be in U.S. custody, were freed.

"Intermediaries assured us that our prisoners will be released and other demands will also be met before Eid," said Mullah Ishaq Manzoor, one of several men claiming to speak for the Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims) militants.

The Eid al-Fitr festival that ends the Ramadan fasting month begins at the weekend. Manzoor did not detail the other demands.

The government has declined to comment on efforts to release the U.N. workers, who were abducted in Kabul two weeks ago after helping to organize last month's presidential election won by U.S.-backed incumbent Hamid Karzai.

A U.N. spokesman in Kabul, Manoel de Almeida e Silva, called for the hostages to be freed before Eid.

"Eid is a time of happiness, compassion, forgiveness and friendship among people," he said. "We hope that the spirit of peace and understanding shown by all during Eid will be extended to Annetta, Lito and Shqipe."

He declined to give details of efforts to free the hostages, but said: "There is a lot of work going on, and we hope this work will lead to the safe release of our colleagues."

DEADLINES PASS
Several deadlines for freeing the Taliban members have passed, the latest on Wednesday.

Manzoor said no new one had been set. "The U.N. and the Afghan government should resolve this issue as soon as possible because it is in the interest of all of us," he said.

The government has in the past negotiated the release of several kidnapped foreigners, some by paying ransoms.

Last year, militants freed a Turkish engineer they kidnapped and held hostage for a month after the government freed two Taliban prisoners to mark Eid.

On Wednesday, Karzai issued a decree ordering a traditional Eid prisoner amnesty but a presidential official insisted the order did not cover the prisoners the militants want freed.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said on Wednesday a deal should not be done with the kidnappers as this would only encourage more hostage taking.

Another Jaish spokesman, Mullah Sabir Momin, said the group had been told that 15 prisoners they want freed, who are thought to be in southern Afghanistan, would be released within two days.

He said efforts were under way to free the remainder from Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba, but he did not have exact information.

Jaish emerged in August as a breakaway Taliban faction that refuses to recognize the authority of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

It claims the support of about a third of Taliban fighters and analysts say it has gained publicity from the kidnapping and will add to its prestige even if it manages to secure the release of only a few Taliban members.

On Thursday, a group of 20 Afghan women offered to take the place of the hostages, saying they did not want to live in a "frightened country." A similar offer was made at the weekend by four male journalists.

The kidnappers have said the three were suffering from cold and poor food, but at least two were allowed to phone home on Monday and said they were being well treated.

Afghan women offer to replace UN hostages
11/11/2004 4:45:00 PM GMT AlJazeera
A group of 20 Afghan women offered on Thursday to replace the three UN employees held hostage in Afghanistan for the past two weeks.

The women -- among them housewives, journalists, government officials and an army general -- said that they are ready to give up their lives to secure the release of the hostages, two of whom are women.

The three election workers, Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland, Shqipe Habibi from Kosovo, and Angelito Nayan, a diplomat from the Philippines, were seized from their vehicle in Kabul on October 28.

Magazine editor Gulalai Habib said that she decided to take the decision after seeing a videotape of the frightened women hostages, Annetta Flanigan and Shqipe Hebibi, broadcasted on Arabic Al Jazeera TV.

“We don’t want our country to become a frightened country and a country of rebels which has a bad name in history,” she said.

“We hope that the hostage-takers behave like men and give us their address,” she added. “We are ready to go to meet them to become their hostages and to let them cut off our heads if they want. We hope they release the hostages.”

Another woman, a former Kabul Television announcer who edits in a magazine, said that five Afghan women had initially offered to replace the hostages. “But when other women heard about the group, others came and said ’we are with you’,” said Jamila Mujaheed.

“I think the pride we have in our history about our hospitality has been proven by these women today.” She added.

The women are the latest Afghan citizens who offer to replace the hostages. Over the weekend, a group of four male journalists offered the same offer.

Many educated Afghans have been shocked by the kidnapping of the hostages, who were helping in the country’s first direct presidential election on Oct. 9.

The captors have repeatedly extended a deadline after which they said they would decide whether to execute the hostages. Their initial demands included the withdrawal of British forces and UN agencies from Afghanistan and the release of all Taliban detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

But now they just want the release of 26 Taliban detainees in exchange for the UN hostages. On Wednesday, the kidnappers said that the government agreed to release the detainees, but Afghan officials didn’t confirm and a senior U.S. official said that a deal would encourage hostage taking.

The kidnapping have raised fears among the 2,000-strong Western community in Afghanistan that the captors have started emulating the tactics of rebels in Iraq.

UN calls for Afghanistan hostages to be freed by end of Ramadan
November 11, 2004
KABUL (AFP) - The UN called on kidnappers holding three of its staff in Afghanistan to release them in time for the end of Ramadan, as it raised security in Kabul to the highest level since the fall of the Taliban.

The appeal came as a splinter group linked to the Islamic regime, which was ousted by a US-led invasion in late 2001, said it could reach a deal on the hostages if fresh talks with government officials produce "results".

The militants have held Annetta Flanigan of Northern Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo and Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan since late last month and want 26 comrades freed as part of a deal.

Manoel de Almeida e Silva, spokesman for the UN in Afghanistan, called for the hostages to be let go by this weekend's three-day festival of Eid, which marks the end of the traditional Muslim holy month of fasting and prayer.

"Undoubtedly these are the longest 14 days in the life of Lito, Annetta, Shqipe, their families, their friends and their colleagues," he told reporters on Thursday.

"In the last two weeks we have heard messages from the Afghan people and their leaders, indicating their support to UN efforts in Afghanistan and stress their wishes for the release of our UN colleagues before Eid, a time of happiness, compassion, forgiveness and friendship among people".

"We hope that the spirit of peace and understanding shown by all during Eid will be extended to Annetta, Lito and Shqipe...."

He said Afghan officials were working hard to secure the release of the hostages, who were supervising last month's presidential election in the war-battered country, and added that he hoped the moves would be successful.

Representatives of the shadowy Jaishul Muslimeeen group which claims to be behind the October 28 abductions have held several rounds of talks with officials at a secret location in southern Afghanistan since last weekend.

"We met government representatives just before Iftar (the dinner eaten by Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan)," Habib Noorzad, a spokesman for the group, told AFP by phone on Wednesday.

"If the meetings produce results the hostages will be released," he said.

Further talks between the government and the kidnappers continued on Thursday, according to a source close to the investigation.

The UN has stepped up security in the capital following the kidnappings, according to a written version of a report on the country given to the Security Council on Tuesday.

"A number of special measures have been taken by the UN to enhance staff safety at a time of possible increased exposure to risks," UN deputy secretary general Jean-Marie Guihenno said in the report.

"These are the most stringent staff security measures in place in Kabul since 2001."

The measures include a curfew, limited travel in the capital and escorts for UN personnel, an official said on condition of anonymity.

Twenty Afghan women offered Thursday to swap places with the UN hostages, saying that kidnapping was contrary to Afghan culture.

Journalist and TV host Jamila Mujahid said the women reporters, human rights activists and non-governmental organisation workers were ready to change places with the hostages.

"It is a very shameful act," she said of the abduction, which happened in broad daylight in a busy Kabul street.

The offer was the latest in a series of similar pleas from male Afghan journalists and members of local business community.

Student's slaying highlights need to disarm
By Maseeh Rahman / THE WASHINGTON TIMES November 11, 2004
KABUL, Afghanistan — Angry student protests after a killing at Kabul University have brought home to newly elected President Hamid Karzai the imperative need to disarm thousands of Afghans.

The killing was not connected to drugs or militia rivalries. It was simply triggered by the refusal of a student to give in to the demand by an armed gang that he cut his long hair.

But the mindlessness of the killing, combined with the reported patronage of the gang by university authorities, has stirred public fury and kept agitated students on the streets for the past three days.

Emotions also are running high over the kidnapping of three foreigners working for the U.N.-sponsored election commission.

A council of Islamic leaders has strongly condemned the taking of the three hostages — a Filipino and two women from Northern Ireland and Kosovo — by a splinter group of the ousted Taliban.

The kidnappers yesterday said the Afghan government has agreed to free some of their jailed comrades to prevent the killing of the foreign captives.

Afghan state television reported that Mr. Karzai had decreed the release of prisoners for Eid, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month, expected on Sunday. But there was no indication that the release would include any of the inmates identified by the hostage-takers.

The kidnappers, who are said to include a former Taliban sports minister, held their first meeting with government negotiators at an undisclosed location on Sunday and asked for the release of 26 Afghan prisoners — some of whom are thought to be at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — in exchange for the three hostages.

Mr. Karzai is well-aware of the popular mood against what is commonly referred to here as "gun rule."

"The Afghan people have voted for a government based on laws and institutions," he said at his first press conference after officially being declared the winner last week in a landmark presidential election.

"There will be no private militias in Afghanistan, and we're going to be strongly dedicated to combating drugs. We will work toward strengthening the Afghan national army, the police, the judiciary and other institutions of the state."

A new U.N. survey to be released this week is expected to reveal a phenomenal increase this year in the area being used for poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The survey was to have been unveiled last Thursday, but reportedly was held back to avoid embarrassing Mr. Karzai at the moment of his historic election victory.

The drug business constitutes about half of the country's gross domestic product and threatens to turn Afghanistan into a narco-state.

Russia to continue comprehensive aid to Afghanistan - Putin
MOSCOW. Nov. 11 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has pledged to continue providing Afghanistan with comprehensive aid and assistance in building a peaceful life there.

This statement came in Putin's message of congratulations to Hamid Karzai on his election as president of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan, the Russian presidential press service announced on Thursday.

UN warns of security risks for Afghan parliamentary vote
KABUL, Nov 11 (AFP) - A top UN official warned Thursday Afghanistan's parliamentary elections next year will be more complicated and fraught with security concerns than the successful presidential ballot in October.

UN under-secretary general Jean-Marie Guehenno said in a statement to the Security Council that the international community could not afford to 'become too complacent' and must avoid the 'unrealistic expectation that elections in Afghanistan are not difficult'.

The November 9 statement was distributed to media in Kabul. Guehenno pointed to five 'essential issues' which, he said, needed to be resolved by the time local and parliamentary elections are held in 2005.

Reliable population figures and clear boundaries of districts and provinces needed to be agreed upon before parliamentary seats can be assigned, he said. Population figures for Afghanistan's first presidential election last month were based on censuses carried out over 20 years earlier, and in some districts over 140 percent of estimated eligible voters registered for polls, he said.

In addition, 'the voters' list must be analysed, refined, and in some cases updated, in order to prepare specific voter lists for each polling station,' he said. A complaints mechanism and electoral offence prosecution system must also be developed at a local level, he suggested. The United Nations official said qualifications of thousands of potential candidates must be vetted prior to their registration.

Afghanistan's parliamentary elections are set to be held before May next year in order to elect a legislature to counterbalance the power of recently elected President Hamid Karzai. In many districts, which remain under the sway of local militia commanders, it is feared the parliamentary vote may spark violence.

Although the country's October 9 election was held without long-expected violence, the security situation has deteriorated in recent weeks with the abduction of three UN foreign workers supervising the election on October 28.

AFGHANISTAN: Commanders given cash incentives to disband militias
KABUL, 11 November (IRIN) - Commander Zalmai, better known by his nom De guerre, Toofan (Storm), lay on a soft Afghan silk carpet and taditional pllows in the garden of his formidable fortress-like house on the outskirts of Kabul. Surrounded by flowers and imported signing birds, nthe much-feared leader was working on a plan to get rich.

The commander, who was one of the most powerful warlords in Kabul, with more than 2,000 troops at his disposal, now leans more towards economic development than battling rival militias. "I am thinking of creating a paper factory in Kabul, we need a lot of paper for school text books and it will be good business," said Toofan.

He had been studying business when he left university to fight to Remove the Soviets more than 20 years ago. He was also involved in the civil War uring the 1990s and at one time controlled much of the suburbs south Of he capital. The 50-year-old also played a role in ousting the Taliban As one of the leading Northern Alliance commanders.

Toofan is one of 20 Afghan militia commanders who have been recognised By the UN-backed Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) Programme or effectively disbanding their militias and turning over a new leaf.

"All of my soldiers have been disarmed, so now I have no armed men except my bodyguards," he said, adding that now he needed professionals to help him set up a factory. "Not all of the commanders are bad guys, we are very elegant and will prove our talent in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan as well."

The multi million-dollar Afghanistan New Beginning Programme (ANBP), The official name for the DDR process, is designed to disarmed more than 50,000 former fighters. So far, 22,000 members of Afghanistan's dozens of militia forces have returned to civilian life since the process begun in October 2003.

As part of the accelerated DDR plan, the UN and Ministry of Defence (MoD) designed a new scheme offering commanders like Toofan a financial redundancy package in return for the disarmament and demobilisation of their units.

Many commanders had stalled the DDR process earlier this year – because
before the incentive scheme, only their soldiers had benefited from the
programme.

Under the new scheme, commanders can receive up to US $500 per month Over two years. Japan, which is already supporting a large part of the DDR, Is funding this new $ 2.5 million UN initiative. Under the programme, the military leaders can also opt for a one-off lump sum payment to be used to start a business.

Toofan is aware that his dream paper factory will cost more than the $12,000, but heading a militia appears to have had its financial nrewards. “ will sell my agricultural fields and even house or cars and the remainder I hope that I can obtain through loans with the help of the United Nations," he said, while counting several land cruisers and pick-up trucks parked in his compound, very similar to those used by international NGOs and the UN.

According to ANBP, almost half of all militia troops in Afghanistan Have been disarmed while another 30,000 are expected to put down their Weapons permanently disbanded by next year.

Toofan said he was trying to make money with his new venture but was Also in the job creation business, having to look after hundreds of his Cronies who have no source of income after his army was decommissioned. "They [ex-soldiers] were loyal to me and fought with me for years, I have to find them jobs, maybe through my factory," he maintained.

One third former Afghan combatants disarmed
www.chinaview.cn 2004-11-11 20:29:07
KABUL, Nov. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- As the Afghan transitional government has been pushing ahead vigorously with a UN-backed demobilization program the total number of disarmed militiamen has reached over 23,000, UN spokesman said Thursday.

"As of November 9, two days ago 23, 110 soldiers and officers have been disarmed. Of these 21,242 have begun their reintegration program," Manoel de Almeida e Silva briefed journalists here.

The Afghan administration under the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program, launched in northeast Kunduz province in October 2003, has planned to disarm some 100,000 militias within three years throughout the country.

The Afghan authorities with the active support of the international community, particularly the United States, are going to complete the project before holding the parliamentary election in April 2005.
US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmai Khalilzad time and again warned the era of the warlords has gone and urged the commanders to join the DDR process.

Testing time for Karzai
Gulf News 11/10/2004 By Neena Gopal
It's no accident that Hamid Karzai prevailed in Afghanistan's first presidential election. Much like George W. Bush, he played on the fears of a return to violence raised by men who claim to speak in the name of Taliban-Al Qaida. Unlike Bush's WMD bogey in Iraq, the ability of these elements to derail Afghanistan's faltering embrace of democracy is an all too real threat.

As Karzai seeks to stamp his authority on the next five years as president, Al Qaida's intertwining with warlords who seek to perpetuate their own power, reinforced by the steel of drug money, will be the main stumbling block in his way.

The risk of failure is huge, the price of success immeasurable. The country which exercised its franchise for the first time in its chequered history this October 9, could in the coming years re-emerge as a land bridge that links gas-rich Central Asia to energy starved South Asia and South-east Asia.

The double axis, north-south from Turkmenistan through India to Myanmar, and another from the Iranian port of Charbahar and Gwadar in Pakistan towards Qatar and beyond, is already on the drawing board. If Karzai manages to hold steady and keep the Taliban-Al Qaida at bay, Afghanistan could even enjoy the fruits of a regional market worth four trillion dollars.

Oil and gas pipelines will criss-cross a country sundered by a quarter century of bloodshed, a spillover from twentieth century rivalries by its immediate neighbours that pulled Afghanistan inexorably into its destructive vortex.

Transit fees alone could bring in billions of dollars, dramatically improving the lives of millions of Afghans, near destitute from years of war.

Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to Afghanistan, who could well be the new Bush administration's envoy to the UN, believes these road-rail connections will transform the geopolitics of the region.

"Countries that have sought to build their national interests in Afghanistan and the region through geopolitical competition and proxy warfare will see that the logic of this old game is increasingly obsolete."

Speaking at John Hopkins University in Washington, days after the landmark election, he added: "In this new era, neighbours can pursue their national interests through commerce and trade."

But for any such transformation to take place, there must first be peace.
The elections showed an overwhelming mandate for change. In the southern province of Paktika, traditionally sympathetic to Taliban, some 255,580 out of 339,000 registered voters came out to vote. Of these, 46.5 per cent were women.

The huge female voter turn out is an indicator that of the estimated eight million votes cast in the 10 million strong electorate, the majority did not want a return of the brutal Taliban, even in the south.

But even this strong urge for peace can easily peter out in the face of sustained acts of terror by elements that seek to drive out the US-led coalition forces and the UN are seen as following a US agenda. The kidnapping of UN officials, that mimic Iraq, is aimed at frightening away foreigners who run badly needed NGOs and reconstruction projects.

Bulwark against anarchy - The US has made no secret of the fact that it is here to stay, be it under the auspices of Nato or the UN, and that it plans a strategic central military base here. Within Afghanistan, its presence is the only bulwark against anarchy. But it can only prevail if the Karzai government extends its writ beyond Kabul.

Caught between a people unused to the American jackboot and the power of warlords and their militia, it will be the president's call to convince his people of the need for a continuing foreign presence.

His only carrot is a place in the cabinet, and with that the power of influencing parliamentary elections next year. The task of putting together a cabinet is Karzai's next test. Underlying ethnic divisions that came to the fore during the campaign are certain to surface anew.

It will require all of Karzai's legendary ability to bring everyone to the table, or in this case the "big tent", to see off challengers. Yunous Qanooni, who led the anti-Karzai campaign this election, was discredited like the other contenders when he called the elections fraudulent, but was unable to make charges stick.

But he, like the others, are bargaining for cabinet posts. This is typical of the manner in which Afghan's fledgling democracy has worked. Qanooni will probably have his foot in the tent in the form of his nominee, fellow Tajik, Ahmad Wali Massood as foreign minister. The present incumbent, Dr Abdullah Abdullah, is likely to be Afghanistan's special representative at the UN or Washington.

Similarly Marshall Fahim and General Rashid Dostum, both of whom were left out as running mates and could become the first targets of Karzai's avowed aim to crack down on warlords and the drug mafia, are expected to have proxies in the cabinet. Herat strongman Esmail Khan and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani are looking at a place in a supra-national council.

"In Afghanistan, it's better to be inside the tent than outside," said an Afghan expert. "When you are outside you are a nobody and you have nothing to lose." Officials within the unwieldy first cabinet admit it was "the most inefficient, most corrupt government in the history of Afghanistan".

Their affection for the amiable Karzai notwithstanding most aides say the president's policy of "national participation" must give way to a more pragmatic approach, that ineffective warlords must make way for efficient technocrats if Afghanistan is to move forward.

The unspoken challenge comes from the intrusive menace of fundamentalists who will stand in the way of change. "Compromising with them will seem as if Karzai has something to hide," said one young Dubai-based Afghan businessman. "We want a modern Islam, where we are free to pursue our faith, on our terms."

Karzai will find that winning was easy. Guiding Afghanistan towards parliamentary elections and the checks and balances built into a system which gives these people's representatives a strong voice will be far more testing.

Next Up: Parliamentary Elections
Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting 11 Nov 2004
Despite the success of the recent presidential vote, some observers wonder whether the country is ready for the general election scheduled for the spring.
By Hafizullah Gardesh in Kabul (ARR No. 147, 11-Nov-04)
Following the country's recent presidential elections, political observers in Afghanistan are now looking ahead to parliamentary elections in the spring.

That is, if they happen at all. Some analysts say it might be better to postpone the vote if it becomes clear that the government cannot guarantee security. Others, however, insist that the elections should be held on time.

Elections are to be held either in April or May - the precise timing has yet to be determined by the UN-Afghan Joint Electoral Management Body. Each province will have a different number of seats, based on its population. All told, Afghanistan's national assembly will have 249 elected members.

Afghanistan's October 9 presidential vote was not marred by major violence.

However, analysts say holding parliamentary elections is likely to be much more challenging than the presidential election. One major obstacle is the slow pace of disarmament: there are some areas that are still under the sway of local militias, and some observers fear that truly representative figures will not find their way into the national assembly.

Habibullah Rafih, a political analyst and member of Afghanistan's academy of sciences, sees trouble ahead.

"In my opinion, if the parliamentary election is held while arms are still uncollected, then・the results will be painful," he said.

However, Rafih added, . that it is the government's constitutional obligation to hold parliamentary elections. Postponement of the election, he said, would be seen as a failure for the government and might undermine the legitimacy of the new administration of president-elect Hamed Karzai.

"Laying the proper groundwork for successful parliamentary elections is the government's obligation," he said. "And it is the government's responsibility to hold the elections on time."

Another political analyst, Mohammad Qasim Akhgar, takes a different view. If the conditions are not right, he argues, it would be better to postpone the election.

"If the situation [during the elections] is the same as it is right now, a truly representative parliament will not come into existence," he said.

Even if circumstances for the election are ideal, Akhgar added, the outcome of the election will be influenced by both national and international players.

Those who fail to win posts in the new administration currently being formed by Karzai may try to hold on to their power via the parliamentary election. And there is a risk, he added, that armed groups and local drug barons might try to gain legitimacy through the electoral process.

"If warlords, terrorist groups and narcotics traffickers win seats in parliament, the situation will become too dangerous, and democratisation of Afghanistan will be pushed back for a long time," warned Akhgar.

Mohammad Younis Qanuni, an important political player who came second in the presidential election, insisted that the Karzai government - not militia commanders - are the main threat to the upcoming elections.

"Sabotage, fraud and whatever else happens are all the responsibility of the government, not the warlords," he said.

Qanuni, who drew strong support from some former mujahedin, said the election must be held on time. And he said the parliamentary vote would serve as a referendum on the government's policies.

"The issue at stake will be whether the government is on the right track and whether it really is implementing the national constitution," he said.

The hope is that through the elections process, real political parties will begin to take shape. Some observers worry, however, that militia groups or their proxies will take many of the seats.

Sebghatullah Sanjar, head of the Republican Party, supported Karzai in the presidential election and is now preparing his party for the election.

"If a parliament is formed・on the basis of the narrow interests of a few individuals and groups, it is better not to have it," he said.

Security is not the only issue. Afghanistan has not had a proper census in decades, and some observers are questioning whether there will be true proportional representation.

Mohammad Seddiq Patman, a political analyst who helped draft Afghanistan's constitution, thinks full disarmament and a proper census are two measures that must be implemented prior to the parliamentary election.

"Parliamentary seats are supposed to be distributed according to the size of the provinces' populations," he said. "If we don't have precise statistics on that, then there will be trouble. If a census is not taken, the new parliament will be decided by force, rather than by the people."

Patman said the elections are a vital chance to end the "politics of making excuses" for past crimes. Noting that powerful commanders alleged to have been responsible for atrocities had been able to run for president, he expressed concern that the same individuals might also try to win parliamentary seats in order to keep their cases closed to public scrutiny.

Another political analyst, who asked not to be named, worried that Karzai would bring powerful figures into his government, and their allies would then take seats in parliament.

"I am pretty sure that some notorious figures will occupy some of the cabinet posts, and their representatives will find their way into parliament, and they will tie Karzai's hands," he said.

Despite those fears, there is hope for positive developments. Women will be guaranteed seats in the national assembly. Two female representatives will be sent from each province, with a total of 68 female representatives.

Akhgar speculated that some women would be directly elected to parliament in major cities. In other areas, he said, they would probably be appointed rather than elected to their seats.

Intriguingly, the parliamentary elections may also be an avenue for some factions of the Taleban to lay down their arms and become part of the political process.

According to recent reports, there have been contacts between the government and representatives of some factions of the fundamentalist movement.

At present, the Taleban are still openly at war with the Afghan government and its foreign allies. It is not clear whether Taleban elements will join in the parliamentary election, or participate in government through some other means.

Most analysts agreed that Taleban members who are not accused of war crimes and who accept Afghanistan痴 current constitution should be given the right to participate in the election.

Patman, for one, was hopeful that the Taleban might somehow join the government.

"If the people of Afghanistan can forgive Russian sympathisers and the Soviet occupation, and they can forgive war criminals as well, they can also forgive the Taleban," he said.

"Everyone has the right to take part in government and political life, provided they obey the constitution of Afghanistan and work for democracy. Because issues cannot be resolved by war. Blood cannot be washed out by blood."

Hafizullah Gardesh is a staff reporter with IWPR in Kabul.

The Afghanistan Failure
by Mike Whitney published by The Progressive Trail
"These two visions, one of tyranny and murder the other of liberty and life clashed in Afghanistan. And thanks to brave US and coalition forces and to Afghan patriots, the nightmare of the Taliban is over. And that nation is coming to life again."

George Bush; War College Address

Bush can take the podium in front of a national audience and claim success in Afghanistan without a whimper of dissent from the media. The American press has decided that any adventure pursued under the banner of "the war on terror" is just dandy with them as long as American lives are not at stake. It doesn't matter if the country is already a "basket case" (as a visiting British MP described Afghanistan last week) just as long as the flag draped coffins aren't being dumped off in Dover twice a week.

Actually, Afghanistan might be in worse shape than Iraq. The American intervention toppled the Taliban regime, but has left nothing to replace them. In fact the war has returned the country to a medieval state of warlords and fiefdoms; a situation that resulted in 25 years of factional fighting and civil war.

So where does Bush get the nerve to sound off about "a nation coming to life again?"

Afghanistan is buried on America's back pages; another pitiable entry in The Bush Administration's log of imperial neglect. Once the Taliban were routed and attention shifted to Iraq the country receded into predictable anarchy. There was no stopgap for the ensuing chaos; no plan to assist in the transition; just platitudes and air strikes, the panacea for whatever ails you. This seems to be the SOP (standard operating procedure) for the White House czars. Washington has no interest in nation building and the press has no intention of reporting on policy failures that leave 24 million people without security.

The press dutifully steps up its coverage when some pathetic public relations gambit is being orchestrated by Karl Rove and his Madison Ave cohorts. That was the case with the Afghanistan Constitution; the widely "ballyhooed" first step towards democracy. As it turns out, the document could have been run through the shredder for all the value it'll have on Afghan society. The "constitution" hasn't improved the appalling security situation nor has it restrained the warlords and drug traffickers from "business as usual" in the countryside.

What difference does a constitution make to the average Afghan if he can't go 5 miles outside of Kabul without being shot or robbed? He's looking for security not some worthless decree that serves no purpose other than a talking point on the FOX News Hour.

Now, the country is being pushed pell-mell towards elections, a step it is clearly not ready to make. (And a step that has forced Hamid Karzai to conduct secret negotiations with remnants of the Taliban on a power sharing agreement) The intention is simply to demonstrate the "great strides" that are being made in Afghanistan to improve Bush's reelection prospects at home. It is a purely superficial development that has no affect on the deteriorating security situation. The press has wasted a fair amount of column space on these tentative elections, promoting the image of a beleaguered third world state as a burgeoning democracy. Once again, the American media has shown itself to be a reliable partner in the promotion of dubious policy.

Afghanistan is a tragic example of American foreign policy run amok. The promises of liberation and reconstruction have only generated more suffering and death." Operation Enduring Freedom" was nothing more than a marketing ploy designed to project American military power into the region and secure long-coveted pipeline routes. It has created a situation that is more unstable than before. A recent report from Kim Sengupta confirms this; "The UK Independent has learned that an all-party group of MPs from the Foreign Affairs Committee has returned from a visit to the country shocked and alarmed by what they witnessed. They warn that urgent action must be taken to save Afghanistan from plunging further into chaos because of Western neglect."

This is the reality of the Afghanistan campaign; a nation teetering towards anarchy because it fit nicely into the global designs of a handful of fanatics in Washington. It is a reality that has been scrupulously omitted from the establishment press because it doesn't exemplify the virtue of American warmongering. A faithful rendering of the facts of the Afghanistan war would convince the American people that it was a cruel and cynical misadventure that never should have taken place. Nearly, three years after the end of major hostilities, the country is still more fractured and unsettled than ever. Large swaths of the country are engaged in an unreported war and the drug trade is fueling even greater instability. The Taliban have been replaced by the equally misogynist warlords who rule with an iron fist and have a similar disregard for basic human rights.

This state of affairs won't be reversed by America's paltry commitment of troops and resources, nor will it be improved by saccharine stories of Afghan elections and constitutions. Afghanistan is on the brink; driven by (to use George Bush's words) "a totalitarian political ideology pursued with consuming zeal and without conscience." This ideology was the real impetus for our war in Afghanistan.

It's doubtful that either Bush or his friends in the media will be able to keep Afghanistan out of the headlines much longer. This mess bears the American imprimatur, and sooner or later those chickens will be coming home to roost.

Conservatives strike back in Afghan television wars
Friday November 12, 9:31 AM AP
It might seem tame fare, but Bollywood movies, Western pop videos and even Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments" have got Afghanistan's fledgling cable TV stations in hot water.

This week, an appeal from the country's top Islamic judge prompted the Cabinet to order the networks temporarily off the air _ just three years since a Taliban ban on television was lifted.

"The consequences are disastrous for Afghanistan," Saad Mohseni, director of Tolo TV, said Thursday. He forecast more restrictions would follow.

The spat is the latest in the battle for control of Afghan society between still-influential religious conservatives, and liberals and entrepreneurs enjoying new Afghan media freedoms.

Supreme Court chief justice Fazl Hadi Shinwari, an arch conservative, picked the moment of maximum impact to strike.

"It was during Ramadan prayers in the mosque at the presidential palace. The ambassadors from several Islamic countries were also there," said Mohammed Yusuf Etebar, President-elect Hamid Karzai's top civil servant said.

"The Supreme Court chief told Mr. Karzai about the wicked films, that these cable channels are against Afghan culture and against Afghan values."

U.S.-backed Karzai's Cabinet decided to shut down all cable TV until new regulations are drawn up on what they can show.

It was a victory for Shinwari who was on the losing side in January, when the government ignored his protests over the return of veiled female singers to state television screens. The ban had originated with Islamic fundamentalists who ruled in the early 1990s and was lifted only when the repressive Taliban regime fell.

But following Karzai's victory in Afghanistan's landmark Oct. 9 election, the liberals have lost their champion. Culture Minister Makhdom Raheen fought for the TV stations in January, but critics now accuse him of switching sides to ensure his post as Karzai ponders how to build a government that reaches out to all parts of Afghan society.

Mohammed Hashem Pakzad, the owner of Ariana, one of about 20 cable operators in Kabul, said he read about the new ban in the newspaper and stopped transmitting for fear police "in a bad mood" might come and smash up his office.

"I'm a Muslim, and I wouldn't show any sexy films," he said. "This is just a conspiracy against the cable operators. These people just want to keep Afghan people in the dark."

Wahid Mujdah, a Supreme Court spokesman, made plain the conservatives' main target are the Indian films hugely popular with young Afghans for their raunchy dance routines.

"Immoral" movies were even blamed for the recent fatal stabbing of a student at Kabul University which has led to street protests in capital.

"The boys are disturbing the girls in these films. Then there are gangs fighting each other. All these things are against Afghan culture," Mujdah said.

A screening last week of the "The Ten Commandments" starring Charlton Heston provided more ammunition.

"It showed the prophet Moses with short trousers and among the girls," Mujhad said. "He's a very holy person and Islam respects him. This is wrong."

Mohseni, director of Tolo TV, a new Afghan channel which showed the biblical epic, said the episode epitomized the threat to free speech in a country championed by the United States as a model for the region.

He accused officials of trying to silence increasingly sophisticated media coverage of Afghan politics.

"Ministers will come and go. But the free media should be here to stay to serve the nation and its public," he said. "This is a time for people to take a stand."

Tolo TV condemns the recent banning of cable television in Afghanistan
Editorial - Tolo TV, Kabul, Afghanistan - 11 November 2004
Tolo TV, along with our brothers and sisters in other Afghan media organisations, are firm believers in the freedom of speech and free media in Afghanistan.

Together we are extremely concerned that the recent Cabinet level decision to ban cable TV represents a restriction on free media that also threatens other forms of private media such as free-to-air TV, radio and print.
We view any action to clamp down on the freedom of the media as a flagrant abuse of the rights granted to all Afghans under the recently approved Constitution and a breach of the provisions of our media laws. Supporters and protagonists of this decision are not acting in the interest of Afghans, and it is unfortunate that the current political climate has allowed outside interests to take advantage of personal ambitions of some.
The end result has been that the media in Afghanistan has been set back by a few years. Furthermore, it seems like the pressure from the media to hold government accountable has added to the incentives to restrict media in Afghanistan. This is unfortunate as it is perhaps the single biggest backward step Afghanistan has taken in respect of media since the signing of the Bonn Agreement in November 2001. The consequences are disastrous for Afghanistan, but perhaps may be favourable for some other countries whose own media is severely curtailed.

Statements made by individuals condemning free media contradict and reject the wishes of the public. Today, the majority of households tune into private TV and radio stations and read private newspapers and magazines. This is a testament to the public's satisfaction with these outlets.

The other issue to take into consideration is that if the broadcast media in Afghanistan is restricted in a substantial manner, and people feel that their needs are not catered for, they will simply watch satellite channels which are neither owned or controlled by Afghans.

Ministers will come and go. But the free media should be here to stay to serve the nation and its public. More importantly, the media in Afghanistan has been tasked to hold the government and its identities accountable to the Afghan public.

Tolo TV Limited is an Afghan registered organisation owned by Afghans. It has been on air in a test capacity since 7 October 2004. One of the principle reasons Tolo TV was established was to provide the people of Afghanistan with the news, information and entertainment that they demanded. As such, the primary aim is to serve the public, not any government of this country or a foreign country, nor any interest groups or minister.

Given that Tolo TV is owned by Afghans, it takes into account Afghanistan's social as well cultural conventions and makes all attempts to abide by them. All programs are reviewed and edited as per the instructions of an internal advisory board. The advisory board in turn seeks the counsel of established Afghan journalists, intellectuals and academics on key editorial policies.

This is a time for people to take a stand on the issue of media rights. To stay silent is to tacitly approve the recent actions of the Government and others who intend to interfere with the freedom of speech and free media rights granted to all Afghans.

For further information regarding this matter please contact: info@tolo.tv

Afghanistan wants its 'Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism' back from UK
By Nick Meo in Kabul 12 November 2004 Independent Digital (UK)
The Afghan government is to request the return of the "Dead Sea Scrolls of Buddhism" from the British Library, amid concerns the priceless manuscripts were looted during civil war in the early nineties.

Afghanistan's Minister of Culture will formally ask for the 2000-year-old scrolls to be sent from London to the newly restored Kabul Museum in the next few weeks as part of a campaign to bring home stolen treasures from foreign collections.

The British Library, whose conservation experts saved the scrolls from crumbling, has admitted it has no idea how they came to London from one of Afghanistan's most famous historical sites at Hadda near the Khyber Pass.

Museums and archaeological sites were looted to order by gangs during the years of turmoil in the early nineties, with treasures from Afghanistan's past being dug up or stolen from museums and shipped abroad, usually by Pakistani middle men selling to rich collectors in America, Europe and Japan.

After years of seeing their heritage plundered for profit, Afghans are showing a new interest in the glories of their past. Showcasing treasures from the extraordinary rich cultures that grew up in ancient Afghanistan, at a cultural crossroads of the Silk Road, are also seen by modern Afghans as a way of showing a more positive international image than the usual one of drugs, terrorism and bloodshed.

Dr Sayed Raheen, Minister of Information and Culture, has promised to try and restore the once-famous collection of the Kabul Museum, looted and burned during the war and reopened last month after a major restoration project.

Many of its finest pieces were hidden first from looters and later from Taliban iconoclasts by museum workers, often at great personal risk.

The Kharosti Scrolls would be a hugely prestigious centerpiece for the new museum. The 60 fragments of text written in the ancient script Kharosti on birch bark are considered by Buddhist scholars as comparable in historical importance to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Between the 2nd and 7th centuries AD, Hadda was one of the holiest sites in Buddhism drawing pilgrims from all over India and China. The scrolls are the earliest known Buddhist scripts and were produced by monks in the extraordinary civilisation of Gandhara, a synthesis of Indian and Greek culture spread to Asia by the followers of Alexander the Great.

The civilisation flourished at the time of the Roman Empire in what is now the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Dr Raheen said: "Afghanistan has lost so many unique and priceless pieces - ancient coins, books and statues - it's impossible to say how many thousands of our artefacts have disappeared abroad.

"Most of them have gone into private collections and we may never see them again. But there are also treasures in some museums in the West. Paris has important collections of Afghan artifacts, so does Switzerland. And we will certainly be requesting that the British Library returns the scrolls."

Dr Raheen, a noted Sufi poet, said Hadda, near the antiques markets in the Pakistani city of Peshawar and in an area of savage fighting, suffered terrible damage during the war.

He said: "Hadda was totally looted. There are numerous pieces from there now in a number of foreign museums. We have been assured that they are being looked after and told that whenever our national museum is ready they will be sent back.

"The museum is ready now. So we look forward to receiving them." Dr Raheen insisted that the museum is secure enough to hold treasures but still needs specialist display cabinets.

The British Library said it bought the scrolls in 1994 from a British dealer out of concern that they were deteriorating rapidly and needed emergency restoration work to ensure that they were not lost.

Staff usually carefully check the provenance of new acquisitions to ensure they have not been stolen but it is difficult to check the history of Afghan artifacts. Little was known about the scripts and checks could not be made.

A decision was taken to leave the provenance issue aside and buy them to ensure their survival.

They had been stuffed into a pickle jar and it was believed that they had not been unrolled for centuries.

A spokesman for the British Library said: "It is not for the library to speculate upon the future safety of any items returned to Afghanistan, but we note with approval the present regime's concern for the whole of Afghanistan's important cultural heritage, Buddhist as well as Islamic." He said the library would be willing to consider a claim

Echoes of Afghanistan in the streets of Fallujah
Colin Freeman / San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, November 11, 2004
Kabul, Afghanistan -- The last time I visited Fallujah was in May this year, days after a "truce" between U.S. Marines and rebel insurgents led to a brief lull in fighting. Three weeks of shock-and-awe warfare had lowered the city's horizon by several feet, but among the fighters in the ruined buildings, morale was high.

On the walls of the soccer stadium that had become a makeshift guerrilla graveyard, gleeful posters showed the Statue of Liberty being toppled -- a mockery of the way Saddam Hussein's was on April 9 the year before.

Yet as U.S. troops engage in their second crack at Fallujah this week, other, more ominous historical comparisons might be considered -- not, this time, with Baghdad in April 2003, but Afghanistan in April 1987.

It was then, in a set of caves at Jaji near the Pakistani border, that a small band of 50 Arab fighters held out for a week against a bombardment by more than 200 Russian Spetsnaz special forces. For the Arabs, among them a young and then unknown fighter named Osama bin Laden, it was a turning point in the war against Soviet occupation: the first time their outgunned, outnumbered militia had held a superpower in its tracks.

Accounts of the standoff, detailed in the Arab press, attracted floods of new foreign recruits to the cause, and when the Soviets finally left Afghanistan two years later, Bin Laden and his men felt invincible. For the "Afghan Arabs," as they became known, victory against the Soviets was just the first step torward their dream of a Muslim world free from outside interference. Having defeated the godless Communists -- whom they saw as the tougher and nastier of the two superpowers -- they then set their sights on the United States, too.

Nearly all of the key al Qaeda affiliates now battling in Iraq are part of this Afghan old-boys club. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, for example, the alleged beheader of Nick Berg and other U.S. citizens, spent time there in 1989. Yet for most of the previous decade and a half, their only real successes have been by terrorism, conventional and otherwise: car bombing U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, boat bombing the destroyer Cole in Yemen, and plane bombing the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. As the walkover U.S. invasion of Iraq seemed to prove, beating the Americans in a straightforward military scenario seemed virtually impossible.

The first siege of Fallujah this April, however, changed all that. Just like the invasion battles a year before, the Marines were again infinitely better equipped than the opposition. This time, though, the venue was not open desert battlefield, but a Stalingrad-style maze of blind corners and booby- trapped alleys. Their foes were not Hussein's demoralized armies, but highly motivated jihadis, far happier at the prospect of dying than they were. The Marines could have taken the city, sure, but the political risks, prompted by concerns of heavy civilian and U.S. casualties, prevented the full assault from going forward.

Yet unlike the battle of Jaji with the Soviets, this was more than just a shoot-out at a bunch of caves. The U.S. occupation, which has prided itself on no "no-go" zones, suddenly found itself with an entire guerrilla free-state near its heart.

The Marines who fought at Fallujah last April said it was a remarkable bonding experience -- even though they did not get to complete their mission.

For the 2,000-odd guerrillas on the other side, it has been more so. The old-boy network from Afghanistan had tasted glory together again. Then, and again this week, young locals, who at first may just have been defending their turf, have shared food, danger and cause with extremists from other parts of the Muslim world. In Islamic militant circles for the next 10 years or so, the line "I was in Fallujah in 2004" is likely to be a common ice-breaker. What's more, their stories are not being whispered third-hand from the remote mountains of Afghanistan, but beamed by live satellite TV into millions of Middle East households.

What the final chapter will be is hard to say: Some of the Fallujah veterans will opt for martyrdom; others already have left to fight another day. But one thing seems likely: Even if the United States completely defeats the opposition this time, Fallujah's symbolic value for future insurgent movements may live on for some time to come.

Colin Freeman is a freelance correspondent for The Chronicle Foreign Service.

Press briefing by Manoel de Almeida e Silva, UNAMA Spokesman 11 Nov 2004
Source: UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan 11 Nov 2004
TALKING POINTS
The longest 14 days in the lives of Lito, Shqipe, and Annetta

Two weeks ago Annetta Flanigan, Shqipe Hebibi and Angelito Nayan were abducted in Kabul.

What were they doing that day? They were going about their business. They went from their homes to the office, as they have been doing every day since they arrived in this country. In the office, they joined their Afghan and expatriate colleagues to plan and develop the day's work - all activities in support of the transition to peace in Afghanistan. I understand from their close friends that after months of preparation and very hard work, Annetta, Lito, and Shqipe were inspired by Afghans rejoicing over the presidential election, which has just been hailed as a "successful electoral process" by the Security Council of the United Nations.

But at lunchtime on the 28th October, this enthusiasm, this sense of being part of a team and of working for something so important was brought to a standstill. Undoubtedly, these are the longest 14 days in the lives of Lito, Shqipe, Annetta, their families, their friends and their colleagues.

We are grateful and humbled by the many expressions of support and of solidarity that we are receiving throughout Afghanistan. Their families and friends are also very thankful, but Shqipe's, Lito's, and Annetta's brothers, sisters, husband, and parents need them back home. We reiterate our request to those who are holding our colleagues to release them unharmed.

We continue to be extremely grateful for the dedication and very hard work of the Afghan authorities. We closely follow what they are doing and support them in any way we can.

Finally, I also wish to thank you, the journalists covering this case, for your patience and understanding that while our colleagues are away I am not in a position to offer comments on specifics of this case.

UN Security Council welcomes certification of President Karzai, looks forward to Parliamentary Elections

Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Affairs, Jean-Marie Guéhenno briefed the Security Council this past Tuesday (November 9). He focused primarily on a preliminary evaluation of the presidential election and on the preparations for parliamentary elections to be held this coming spring.

He said that while an initial analysis shows that ethnic considerations appear to have played an important role in determining people's votes, Afghans showed that they are united in their rejection of violence, their support for a peaceful political process and the affirmation of their right to participate in it.

Guéhenno noted that the new President has an opportunity to select an effective and competent cabinet, taking into account the ethnic, cultural and geographical diversity of the country. "Competence and representation are key to address the challenges that Afghanistan will face," he added.

The planning for parliamentary, provincial and district elections to be held next spring already began. Parliamentary elections, he said, "will be much more complicated and fraught with security concerns than the presidential elections."

He listed five essential issues that need to be resolved. One, boundaries of districts, and in some cases provinces as well, must be officially delimited; two, population figures must be agreed upon for the assignment of parliamentary seats; three, voters' lists must be refined in order to prepare specific voter lists for each polling station; four, a complaints mechanism and electoral offence prosecution system must be developed at the local level; and finally the qualifications of thousands of potential candidates must be vetted prior to their registration.

Guéhenno also talked about DDR, Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration. Called by him, a key factor in improving the local security environment. He told Council members that the initiative to link political party registration to full disarmament, which began in July 2004, has also yielded positive benefits. The disarmament schedule was modified to enable three of the main political groups - Jamiat, Junbesh, and Da'wat - to divest themselves of their military wings and be registered in time for the parliamentary and local elections.

Noting the continued challenges posed by narcotics, extremism and factionalism, Guéhenno said that domestic security forces will need to play a major role for the success of parliamentary and local elections. International forces remain indispensable both in the direct provision of security and in backing up national efforts.

Following the briefing the Security Council issued a statement recognizing the importance of the first popular presidential election in Afghanistan and welcoming the certification of Hamid Karzai as its winner. In preparation for parliamentary elections, Council members reiterated their determination to continue to provide unwavering support to the Government of Afghanistan in the fight against narcotics and the reinforcement of security. They also urged that the DDR process be substantially completed in time for the 2005 elections.

11 percent of disarmed militia are officers

The Afghanistan New Beginnings Programme has done an initial analysis of the 23,000 former soldiers and officers who have been disarmed. Of that total some 22,000 former officers and soldiers have begun reintegration activities. Prior to entering this program they were interviewed and as a result they identified career options as part of reintegration activity. All of this information was entered into a database.

A review of this data shows that 89 percent of the demobilized forces were soldiers, while 11 percent were officers. Soldiers, who tend to be younger, average 27 years in age, while the officers average 37 years of age. More then 80 percent of the ex-soldiers are not literate. The most common name among the demobilized soldiers is Amanullah.

As of November 9, 2004, 23,110 soldiers and officers have been disarmed. Of these, 21,978 have been demobilized and 21,242 have begun the reintegration programme.

3,835 heavy weapons cantoned

So far 3,835 of some 5,000 working or repairable weapons have been cantoned throughout the country. These are all under the control and care of the Afghan National Army.

US Secretary of State visits DDR Vocational Training Center

Still on DDR, yesterday (November 10) the United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage paid a visit to the Vocational Training Centre for ex-combatants on Jalalabad Road here in Kabul. The Vocational Training Centre is managed by the German NGO AGEF (Association of Experts in the Fields of Migration and Development) and is part of the DDR programme.

So far they have trained approximately 500 former soldiers since the beginning of DDR and through generous contributions of the Japanese Government. Mr. Armitage was accompanied by the Japanese Ambassador, Mr. Nohiro Okuda, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Filippo Grandi, and the Programme Manager of Afghanistan's New Beginnings Programme, Peter Babbington. They visited a class where ex-combatants are learning basic skills to set up small businesses, a computer class and two workshops; one for tailoring and the other for metalwork. The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General told Mr. Armitage that it was necessary for militiamen to enter the programme in a timely fashion and according to the instructions issued by the Ministry of Defence. In spite of recent improvements, the pace of disarmament had to be accelerated if the full reintegration potential of DDR was to be fully exploited.

At the end of the visit, Mr. Armitage stressed the importance of DDR for the future of Afghanistan. He strongly encouraged all militiamen, and in particular their commanders, to comply with DDR requirements, because a successful disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programme was one key pre-condition to free and fair parliamentary and local elections next year.

UNOPS pays election staff

The United Nations Office for Projects and Services (UNOPS) has the responsibility of paying those people who worked during the electoral process. The funds have already been made available to the polling centre supervisors in Wardak to pay the wages of the 30 electoral workers there. Those who have not yet been paid should approach their polling centre supervisor or the local UNOPS office.

Thirty people who had been hired to work in the Wardak polling centre during the October 9 Presidential Election had complained that they had yet to be paid.

UNOPS has also indicated that the payment for all other areas in the country is proceeding smoothly. They have over 150,000 people to pay and as an average each electoral worker receives eight dollars per day of work.

Two new schools open in Nimroz

Some 1800 students province are presently getting a better education following the completion of two schools in Nimroz province.

The first school, in Delaram district, has a total of 10 classrooms, 8 toilets, one drinking water well and room for 300 students. That project began in April 2003 and was completed in August 2004.

The second school in Zaranj City has a total of 16 classrooms, 10 toilets, one drinking water well and room for 1500 students. The project took 19 months to complete.

The projects, which were funded by two UN agencies - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), cost USD $130,600.

So far this year UNOPS and UNICEF have constructed 150 schools in Afghanistan.

UNHCR introduces new spokesman

Tim Irwin is the new spokesman for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kabul. He joins UNHCR in Afghanistan after years of experience as a journalist.

Introducing the newest member of the OCPI team

Ariane Quentier is the newest member of the Office of Communication and Public Information (OCPI) at UNAMA. She is replacing David Singh. Ariane comes to the OCPI as a former journalist having worked in many areas of the world including Afghanistan. She also worked as a press officer and spokesperson for UNHCR in a number of operations and as a press officer for NATO in Brussels.

Eid Mubarak!

This is our last briefing before Eid.

In the last two weeks, we have heard messages from the Afghan people and their leaders indicating their support to the UN efforts in Afghanistan and stressed their wishes for the release of our UN colleagues before Eid. Eid is a time of happiness, compassion, forgiveness and friendship among people. We hope that the spirit of peace and understanding shown by all during Eid will be extended to Annetta, Lito, and Shqipe.

Eid Mubarak to you and your families.

Questions & Answers:

Question: Is there any reason for increased optimism for the release of the three hostages?

Spokesman: We continue to follow the work of the Afghan authorities. There is a lot of work going on and we hope that this work will lead to the safe release of our colleagues.

Question: Concerning the Parliamentary Elections, what is your position on when they will be held?

Spokesman: All the planning is for the elections to be held in the month of Saur (the second month of the Afghanistan calendar). And that means spring 2005.

Question: There was a demonstration held by DDR soldiers in Mazar, is that correct?

Spokesman: I don't know. I have to look into it.

Question: Concerning the kidnappers, what kind of negotiations (inaudible)?

Spokesman: I apologize. Regarding all specific aspects of this case, I am not in a position to make any comments until our colleagues are back with us.

Question: How many weapons have been collected so far?

Spokesman: To date 17,100 weapons have been handed in by approximately 23,000 soldiers and officers that have been disarmed. As you know the difference between the number of people disarmed and weapons handed in is because some weapons are not operated by one man alone. That explains this difference.

Question: Objections of the JEMB (inaudible)

Spokesman: The JEMB (Joint Electoral Management Body), the United Nations and others, are very much looking into how the presidential elections took place, going through the report of the special panel, the report of the JEMB investigation mechanism itself. Very importantly, also the reports of the observation groups as well as the election support teams that made very specific recommendations. I believe that this, along with discussions with not only candidates, but also other people in Afghan society, are elements that need to be taken into consideration by the JEMB and by all working in the preparations of the parliamentary, provincial and district elections that will take place next year.

Question: Of the five criteria you mentioned from the UN Security Council statement, how optimistic are you that these criteria will be met?

Spokesman: They are not criteria. They are issues that absolutely need to be resolved and / or clarified early enough, not in the spring, but early enough to enable the firm preparation of these elections to take place. It has to happen as many things had to happen before the Presidential Election and they happened, and you had them and they were successful. But for the Parliamentary elections it is much, much, much more complicated. Some of these issues as I mentioned before is the requirement for district boundaries to be officially defined, that is very important. If you are going to have district elections you need to know how many districts there are and where the districts are for example. You need to know the population figures of the provinces in order to assign seats at the lower house of the national assembly. So these are not criteria, these are issues that need to be resolved. And there is already work regarding that but it needs to be really, really followed up and acted upon by the agencies responsible in particular the government, for example in the case of district boundaries, they are the ones who need to do it. But I think people are conscious of the difficulty, and also of the need to have it done, and it will get done.

Question: Will there be a briefing on Sunday?

Spokesman: There is no briefing on Sunday because of Eid. Thank you very much.

Anger at pupil's asylum decision
Thursday, 11 November, 2004, 20:07 GMT BBC News
Staff and pupils at a Kent school have been devastated as an Afghan student was taken from his home in a dawn raid and now faces deportation.
Amin Buratee, 18, faces a return to his native Afghanistan this week because the government says it is safe for him to return there.

But the Whitstable student, who has been studying at Canterbury High School, said he feared for his life.

He fled to the UK after his uncle and brother were killed by the Taleban.

He had since been told by the Home Office that his father has also been killed.

"I'm very, very ashamed to be an English person, I think it's disgraceful he's been sent back, he's such a brilliant person, " Amin's friend Katie Smith told the BBC's South East Today.

Another pupil from Afghanistan, Essa Jamai, was in the house when Amin was taken.

"I thought in another two, three months they come to me. Everyone was frightened.

"We don't want to go back home, we have a bad memory of Afghanistan."

Despite the violence in Afghanistan, the Home Office says the country is getting safer, and is sending back people who do not qualify for asylum.

Head teacher Keith Hargreave said Amin should not be sent back.

"We've seen copies of the immigration papers, the reason for him being deported, the reason being he has no family.

"The reason he has no family is of course they've been killed.

"It was actually the British government themselves who wrote the letter to Amin saying they have been killed," Mr Hargreave said.

Amin is being held at the Dover Removal Centre.

The Home Service would not comment on a particular case, but issued a blanket statement.

It said: "Asylum will always be granted when the caseworker is satisfied, on the grounds of reasonable likelihood, that the applicant has demonstrated a well-founded fear of persecution."

His friends say they will fight to keep him in the country, but it is expected Amin will be sent back to Afghanistan within the next few days.