January 11, 2005

Afghanistan elections in April or May bring pressing deadlines, UN says
U.N. News Service;  10 January 2005 10 January 2005
With Afghanistan facing parliamentary elections thisspring, the United Nations envoy for Afghanistan today called on theinternational community to prepare to pay between $120 million and $130million towards the cost, depending on the final dates chosen by theyet-to-be appointed Independent Electoral Commission. If the Government decided to hold elections for the nearly 3 millionrefugees in Iran and Pakistan, at least another $30 million would beneeded, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General forAfghanistan, Jean Arnault, told the Security Council. Having had the presidential election of last October as a rehearsal formore complex operations, parliamentary and local
elections were scheduledto be held in Saur 1383, or between next 21 April and 21 May, and a numberof related deadlines were looming, he said in an open briefing. With UN assistance, President Hamid Karzai was consulting community leadersand the heads of 50 new political parties on the appointments he would maketo the Independent Electoral Commission, whose most urgent decision wouldbe assigning people to electoral districts in the next couple of weeks tomeet a deadline of at least 120 days before election day, he said. The Government and Independent Electoral Commission members also would haveto decide very soon on revising the electoral law, preparing voter lists,demarcating constituencies, as well as determining the participation ofrefugees and nomads, Mr. Arnault said. Close to 400 district elections needed to be secured as the Afghan NationalArmy increased to 32 battalions by April, from 28 now, and the re-trainedNational Police to over 37,000 by April from 32,000
now, he said. The abduction and killing last month of a sub-contracted UN Office ofProject Services (UNOPS) employee was a warning "of the possibility thatthe targeting of international personnel could occur again" and becomeeasier when the winter ended, Mr. Arnault said. Meanwhile, Afghanistan also needed funds to run its disarmament,demobilization and re-integration (DDR) programme
adequately incircumstances where the demobilization of regular forces was going well,but "miscellaneous irregular forces were not included in the programme andcontinue to exist throughout the country." "Some are although not all are among the main sources of insecurity andhuman rights violations in certain part of the country and their activitiesare frequently linked to drug cultivation and trade," he said. "It is estimated that in 2004 356,000 families were
involved in opium poppyproduction, an increase of 35 per cent from 2003," Mr. Arnault said, addingthat the opium economy was now about 60 per cent of the country's grossdomestic product (GDP). Last month the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said more than6,700 soldiers and officers of the 7th and 8th Corps in Mazar-i-Sharif innorthern Afghanistan had been disarmed and their units decommissioned.Nearly 29,000 military personnel countrywide, or about 60 per cent of thetotal expected to lay down their weapons, had then done so. The Council President for January, Argentine Permanent Representative CésarMayoral, told journalists after the meeting that the body supported UNAMA'sfulfilment of relevant Council resolutions and looked forward to the spring2005 elections. "The Security Council calls upon the international community to supportefforts currently underway on disarmament, demobilization and reintegrationof Afghan militias and on combating the production and trafficking ofnarcotics," he added.

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Afghanistan sets new drive to disarm militias -UN
By Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS, Jan 10 (Reuters) - The Afghan government is tracking the country's private militias with international help, and hopes to begin disarming them before parliamentary elections, a U.N. official said on Monday.

The project aims to fix the location of each irregular force and assess its size and type. This involves determining whether it is a rogue militia, a community-based self-defense group or a security force hired to guard reconstruction projects, said Jean Arnault, the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan.

"Some, although not all, are among the main sources of insecurity and human rights abuses in certain parts of the country, and their activities are frequently linked to drug cultivation and trade," he said.

While an existing disarmament program is making progress, a large number of irregular forces were excluded from that scheme, according to Arnault. When the mapping exercise is concluded, the government plans to rank the forces according to their potential to disrupt the coming elections and begin disarming those posing the greatest risk, Arnault told the U.N. Security Council.

The parliamentary vote is due to take place by May 21. Afghans chose Hamid Karzai as their president in a historic Oct. 9 election that took place in a relatively calm atmosphere and with few serious irregularities. But Afghan authorities and U.N. officials fear the next round of voting could be in danger due to flagging international interest.

Karzai depends on about 27,000 U.S.-led troops and NATO-led peacekeepers to provide security while the newly formed Afghan National Army and police force are built up.

But many areas are under the control of warlords and other local strongmen and security remains a major concern. "In order to create a secure environment for parliamentary elections, the problem of irregular militias has therefore to be tackled as a matter of priority by the new government with the support of the international community," said Arnault.

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Mine explosion kills Afghan truck driver, injures three in western Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  An anti-tank mine exploded under a truck near a military base housing Afghan and U.S. troops on Monday, killing the driver and wounding three passengers, the American military said.

The four men, all Afghans, were on board a 2 1/2 ton truck traveling toward Shindand in western Afghanistan, a military statement said. The military flew the injured to its main American base at Bagram, north of the capital, for treatment.

Two were in guarded condition while the third was listed as stable. It was unclear if the truck was carrying supplies to nearby Shindand Airfield, or if it was deliberately targeted.

``We don't know exactly where it was, or if Americans were nearby,'' provincial police chief Ziauddin Mahmoudi said. Hundreds of American and Afghan government forces have been stationed at the airfield, about 650 kilometers (400 miles) west of Kabul, since intervening to halt bloody factional fighting in the region last August.

A U.S. soldier and a former Afghan militia commander accused of working against the government were killed near Shindand on Jan. 2, when U.S. special forces tried to detain the man and search his house.

Germany Mulls Extra Forces for Afghan Mission, Spiegel Says

Jan. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The German government is considering increasing the number of its peacekeepers in Afghanistan after a warning by the German Intelligence Service of an increased threat to the German forces, Der Spiegel magazine reported, without saying where it obtained the information.

The warning came after an announcement by the U.S. and U.K. governments that they are stepping up a clampdown on local drug trafficking, the magazine said. Germany doesn't take part in the campaign against drug cultivation and trafficking, though it helps with surveillance and occasionally allows U.S. and British forces to use German camps, Der Spiegel said.

Defense Minister Peter Struck is considering options that may include increasing the number of German soldiers from 2,250 and sending special forces to secure the camps in northern Afghanistan, according to the magazine.

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Afghan Army Has Made Great Progress, Says U.S. Officer
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 10, 2005 – Progress made by the Afghan National Army over the past year has "enabled Afghan institutions to build enduring local, regional and national security, extended the reach of the national government and assisted in Afghanistan's transition to a democratic nation," a U.S. Army spokesman said today at a Kabul news conference. The Afghan army "is well trained, brave and relentless in its execution of missions," U.S. Army Maj. Mark McCann pointed out.

Afghanistan's army, McCann pointed out, helped to set the stage for successful nationwide voting conducted in October that elected Hamid Karzai as Afghanistan's president.

Today, the Afghan National Army has 21,000 soldiers, McCann noted, which includes about 17,800 trained troops and more than 3,400 still in training. About 4,000 Afghan soldiers are deployed throughout the country performing security tasks, he said, "from combat operations alongside coalition forces, to security operations" at the direction of Afghanistan's minister of defense.

Over the past year, the ANA has helped to quell disagreements among Afghan warlords and end fighting among rival militias, McCann said. The ANA, McCann said, "is a true national army, representative of all of Afghanistan's major ethnic groups: Pashtun, Tajik, Uzbek, Hazara, Turkmen" and others. This inclusiveness, the major noted, "has been key" to the ANA's success.

The Afghan Army also continues to attract recruits, McCann said, noting that 11 new recruiting centers are slated to open in the next few months. And, last fall's rollout of ANA regional command centers at Kandahar, Heart, Mazar-e-Sharif and Gardez, he said, "extended the reach of the national government throughout all four regions of the country."

By this summer, he said, the Afghan minister of defense "will have grown the troop presence at each regional command to a full 3,000-man brigade, plus the headquarters soldiers."

The disarmament of Afghan militia forces "has been another, critical goal in establishing a safe and secure Afghanistan," McCann said. The Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration program, with Japan as the international community's lead nation, has "achieved more successes these past few months," he said.

The DDR program has led to the disarmament of 31,800 former militia members, McCann said, adding that more than 7,800 heavy weapons are now under government control.

The Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan is proud of its partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Defense and other nations "in reconstructing the Afghan security and defense sectors" as well as "its contributions to the global war on terrorism," McCann asserted.

"We have found our work with the Afghan people to be personally rewarding," he said. "In many ways we have grown ourselves as we have helped the resilient people of Afghanistan rebuild their country."

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Afghanistan to carry out its first census of the disabled
Pajhwok Afghan News 01/10/2005 By Noria Ashori
KABUL - The Afghan government in cooperation with the John Hopkins University in the United States is conducting a nationwide survey to determine the number of disabled people living in Afghanistan, officials said Monday 10. More than two decades of war in the country has left thousand of Afghans disabled or maimed as a result of land mines or explosive devices.

The census project, which is scheduled to be completed in one year is aimed at getting a precise assessment of the number of people disabled and register them, so that they can receive medical and other facilities to make their lives more comfortable.

This will be the first survey of its kind to be carried out in Afghanistan, in a country that is still mined and grappling with the affects of land mines that affect the lives of ordinary people. The health ministry in the capital Kabul dealing with disability and the American Johns Hopkins University will conduct the survey together.

The deputy minister for the disabled and martyr's affairs, Mohammad Zarmatai said that the government hasn't had any accurate statistics of the disabled in the country yet. "Though, we get statistics from the disabled and handicapped people every three month, they haven't been registered through a census so far," Zarmatai said.

The Central Statistics Department working with the joint teams has already finished surveying the capital Kabul, and are just beginning to asses the provinces, he said.

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Pak to continue coop. with US to take war on terror to logic end: Musharraf
ISLAMABAD, January 11 (Online): President general Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan is fighting war against terrorism on the basis of principle and it will continue co-operation with US and its allies to take this war to its logic end.

He made these remarks during talks with General John P Abizaid Commander-in-Chief United States central command who is currently on an official visit to Pakistan and called on President general Pervez Musharraf at Aiwan-e-Sadr Monday. Different aspects of the bilateral relations between Pakistan and US were reviewed in the meeting.

President welcomed the dignity and recalled the excellent ties that existed between armed forces of Pakistan and United States hoping that these relations will gain further momentum and grow more stable.

President also exchanged views with General Abizaid on global and regional strategic scenario. General Abizaid thanked the president for extending hospitality to him and members of the delegation saying that US will continue military interaction with Pakistan. US ambassador in Pakistan and other senior civil and military officers were also present on the occasion.

Earlier general Abizaid visited GHQ and met chief of army staff general Ehsan Saleem Hayat. They exchanged views on matters of professional interest and agreed that interaction between the armed forces of both the countries will be enhanced.

Military sources said that matters related to composite dialogue process between Pakistan and India, Afghanistan and Iraq situation, peace process in Middle East and other issues were discussed in the meeting.

President made Pakistan stance clear on general Abizaid about Afghan matters between Pakistan, US and Afghanistan and country's stand on war on terror saying that sovereignty of each other borders should be respected in war against terrorism. Pakistan was fighting war against terrorism on the basis of principles and it will continue co-operation with US and its coalition partners to take the war to its logic end", he assured.

President however called for addressing root cause of terrorism and urged US and western countries to help resolve Kashmir, Palestine and other issues. About talks process between Pakistan and India he said that both the countries were engaged in dialogue process with all seriousness.

President also talked to general Abizaid on Pakistan Defence and military requirements saying that Pakistan was keen that US should fulfil these requirements in order to ensure balance in conventional and unconventional fields in the region.

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Musharraf suspect flees custody
BBC 1/11/05
An alleged militant accused of trying to assassinate Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has escaped from custody, the authorities say. Mushtaq Ahmed was being held by air force police in the city of Rawalpindi.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said he was a key suspect in the failed attempt on the president's life on 14 December 2003. The president survived two attacks within days of each other, both on the road between Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

He has been a target for Islamic militants since joining the US-led "war on terror" following the attacks of 11 September, 2001. The BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad says the escape of a man regarded as a prime suspect in the attacks is a huge embarrassment for the authorities.

The authorities accuse Mushtaq Ahmed of belonging to the banned militant group, Jaish-e-Mohammed. "This criminal escaped from custody and we hope that we will arrest him. He was a key figure in the 14 December, 2003 attack on President Musharraf," Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the AFP news agency.

He said a huge manhunt was under way. All airports and other exit points have been put on high alert and Mr Ahmed's photographs have been despatched to border posts to foil any attempt by him to slip out of the country.

Several low-ranking officers of the air force and army were arrested along with Mr Ahmed and a number of other civilians following the attacks. It is not clear how or when Mushtaq Ahmed escaped and the government gave no details.

Mr Ahmed and the arrested armed forces officials were being tried by a field court marshal when he somehow managed to escape from custody. Some reports say he has been on the run since November.

President Musharraf survived the 14 December attack, thanks, apparently, to electronic jamming devices which blocked a signal to a remote-controlled bomb. The blast destroyed a bridge minutes after his motorcade had passed over it. No one was hurt.

Eleven days later two suicide bombers tried to ram explosive-laden vehicles into the president's limousine, killing 17 people. Last December, one soldier was sentenced to death and another given a 10-year jail sentence for their role in the first of the attacks on the president. The two men were convicted by a military court in a trial believed to have been held several weeks earlier.

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We Shouldn't Yawn
A roundup of the past month's good news from Afghanistan - Chrenkoff "Weblog" 01/10/2005  By Art Chrenkoff - WSJ.com opinion journal

Stephen Hayes from "The Weekly Standard", who has traveled to Afghanistan to witness the inauguration of President Hamid Karzai, quotes from the speech by the country's first democratically elected leader:

"Whatever we have achieved in Afghanistan--the peace, the election, the reconstruction, the life that the Afghans are living today in peace, the children going to school, the businesses, the fact that Afghanistan is again a respected member of the international community--is from the help that the United States of America gave us. Without that help Afghanistan would be in the hands of terrorists--destroyed, poverty-stricken, and without its children going to school or getting an education. We are very, very grateful, to put it in the simple words that we know, to the people of the United States of America for bringing us this day." Sounds familiar? It shouldn't. As Hayes writes, "Sadly, most Americans never heard these words. Gratitude, it seems, is not terribly newsworthy. Neither is democracy. The Washington Post played Karzai's inauguration on page A-13, a placement that suggested it was relatively less important than Eliot Spitzer's decision to run for governor of New York or the decision of the U.S. government to import flu vaccine from Germany." As columnist Charles Krauthammer commented on the mainstream media's reaction to the inauguration, "Miracle begets yawn."

Yet, ironically, one of the most comprehensive and most optimistic overviews of the tremendous progress achieved in Afghanistan over the past three years comes, of all places, from an official Chinese press agency Xinhua (just consider the surreal picture of Chinese newsmen celebrating democratic election and defeat of "anti-US" Taliban). If you want to read the "good news from Afghanistan" in one short, sharp piece, go Xinhua; if you are after more detail about all the positive - and under-reported, yawn-inducing - developments in Afghanistan over the past month, read on.

SOCIETY: As surprising as the apparent enthusiasm of the official Chinese media is this upbeat assessment by a spokesman for the UNICEF. Bearing in mind that the United Nations officials are not usually prone to hyperbole and optimism, the words make for interesting reading:

"Looking back over nearly three years here in Afghanistan, I have been thinking of some of the amazing changes I have witnessed for myself. As a spokesperson for UNICEF, I have the unrivalled luxury of dipping my nose into a whole range of activities, and reporting on them to the outside world.

"I have given briefings on reductions of polio and measles amongst children, a fall in landmine injuries, and massive increases in the number of children going to school. I still can't think of that day in 2002 - when my Afghan colleagues and I watched the first girls walk back into their schools - without my heart jumping.

"I have interviewed former child soldiers now learning to be carpenters; I have walked through the foothills of the Hindu Kush to monitor distribution of school supplies; I have visited projects where widows and other women have been able to earn an income in their own right for the first time in a decade; and I have drafted statements applauding Government commitments to key child rights legislation and international conventions, which in some cases set examples for other countries.

"So much progress, so many steps forward have been taken. As another year comes to an end, it seemed an appropriate moment to reflect on how rapidly life has changed for the better for so many Afghan children. Given the history of Afghanistan, a history steeped in conflict and chaos, those changes take on even greater significance." As they say, read the whole piece.

Meanwhile, in the political sphere, after weeks of careful, post-election deliberation, president Hamid Karzai has announced the line-up of his new cabinet; the first in a democratic Afghanistan - one which "pushes out warlords and installs technocrats capable of fighting drugs and driving reform":

"Karzai picked out highly educated ministers likely to curry favour with western donors anxious to see Afghanistan push forward with reform, and also cut the number of ministries to 27 from 30. 'Nine of the ministers have PhDs,' a governmental source told AFP, adding Karzai had chosen an ethically-balanced cabinet.

"Karzai retained former warlord Ismael Khan who was ousted as governor of Herat in September. He steps in as minister of energy in charge of rebuilding the country's fractured power sector. Karzai also kept Abdullah Abdullah as foreign minister but dropped Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai as finance minister. Appointed in his place is Anwar Ul-Haq Ahady, who was praised by the west for his work in setting up Afghanistan's central bank.

"The only female candidate in Afghanistan's first democratic presidential election, Masooda Jalal, won a place at the head of the Ministry of Women's Affairs.

"Another appointment likely to win plaudits from the west is Abdul Rahim Wardak, as the new defence minister. The anti-Soviet fighter rose to prominence in the 1980s and later fled to the United States. Wardak has been seen as a key figure behind a United Nations-backed program which has so far disarmed almost 30,000 former militia fighters -- about half of those estimated to remain in the war-torn country.

"Karzai kept Ali Ahmed Jalali as interior minister in another apparent boost for reformists who are pushing for a stronger central government to restore law and order and curb the burgeoning opium industry. A US citizen, Jalali will need to renounce his dual nationality to remain as head of the Interior Ministry, where he was seen foreigners and Afghans alike as having a reputation for efficiency...

"He also picked out engineer and former deputy minister of refugees Habibullah Qaderi as key anti-narcotics minister. Qaderi, an ethnic Pashtun like Karzai, is tasked with cutting opium production in Afghanistan, which now produces 87 percent of the world's supply." As the report notes, "the Afghan constitution written early this year says cabinet members must have higher education degrees -- ruling out many former mujahedin fighters -- and any with dual nationality should be vetted by a parliament that has still to be elected." The first cabinet meeting has been held in the last week on December: "[Karzai] told ministers to avoid party politics and commit themselves to helping the war-torn country rebuild. He said the Cabinet should direct its loyalty to the Afghan people, not to tribal and regional interests. Mr Karzai said the ministers must focus on the economy, education and security. He emphasised that the fight against drug-trafficking would be a measure of the success of his new government."

You can also see this profile of the new cabinet, which as the report notes, "has been generally well received by most people in Afghanistan, as well as by international observers."

In addition to tackling economy, education and security, president Karzai is also serious about fighting government corruption: "[Karzai] says he wants all his officials to disclose their financial holdings. He has also issued strict guidelines about accepting expensive gifts and expenses on overseas visits. Karzai is insisting that all officials in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government hand over full details of all their properties and business dealings, along with those of their wives and children, within two weeks. In addition, he has said that if ministers and their advisers on overseas trips received official gifts valued at more than 200 US dollars they should register them with the president's office. The decree also lays down the rules on ministerial visits overseas and even the gifts that should be presented to officials of host countries." Half of the cabinet has filled out all the relevant forms already, with the remainder expected shortly.

Meanwhile, the First Lady of Afghanistan is also planning to stay busy in future:

"Dr Zeenat Karzai, the wife of President Hamid Karzai... [said] that she plans to come more into society, working for Afghan women. Dr Karzai, who has rarely been seen in public since her husband became president of the interim government in 2001, was speaking after a meeting for prominent Afghan women at her residence in the Presidential Palace in Kabul.

"When... [a] reporter suggested that all the people in society wanted to see her activity, she responded: 'In the near future, I want to come in the society. The work I want to start should be useful for Afghan women.' Asked about how she felt over bringing together the group of some 50 women, in such fields as politics, culture, health and media, she... [said] : 'I feel very happy. I want that all the women should be united and promoted'." And still on the matters of state, Afghanistan finally has its new national anthem:

"The Afghan poet and writer, Habibullah Rafi's words which include a verse written for the national anthem from the former republican President Daud Khan's Era, has been selected as the new Afghan National Anthem.

"The competition which was announced late summer by the interior ministry in Kabul called for all Afghan poets and writers to submit their entries. Habibullah Rafi's, anthem which was chosen from one-hundred entries, includes the first verse of the national anthem sung during the Daud Khan's time between 1973 and 1979 when he ended the rule of the monarchy of the former King Mohammad Zahir." As the report notes, "the anthem is also a required to include all the names of the 12 Afghan tribes and the words of Allah-o-Akbar or God is Great... Rasaul Zamarai, an official for the music production department at the ministry of culture and information said the composition of the new national anthem will be a culmination of western and eastern music."

In other areas of Afghan life, education system continues to grow: "Across Afghanistan, schools are seeing record enrollments, with more than 4 million students in school, according to UNICEF statistics. At least one-third of those students are girls. [But] the government has estimated that roughly 2,000 schools must be built every year for the next five years if demand is to be met." To help meet that demands, groups such as Solace International (also profiled in the previous installment) are bringing in much needed assistance:

"Solace International... last year raised nearly $70,000 in Seattle. The money helped repair facilities and build six new community schools in the rural, isolated northern provinces, where a lengthy drought has increased poverty. Solace International organizers plan another auction in Seattle tonight to raise money to build six more schools and an Internet-equipped learning center.

"While it's too soon to see the impact the new schools have had on literacy rates, there are positive signs. For example, the six new schools have a total enrollment of about 1,200 students, two-thirds of whom are girls." Solace is also planning some more ambitious projects "such as repairing the regional university in the northern city of Sheberghan... The university, the only one in the region, was virtually destroyed by the Taliban, who shot out windows, left the roof to rot and burned chairs and desks, which they deemed 'too Western'... University students now gather in an adjacent building, learning lessons from a small set of outdated primers... Repairing the facility will cost an estimated $20,000... but could more than pay for itself by turning out highly educated graduates, some of whom could be tapped to help teach in the new schools."

Meanwhile, Afghan textbooks are being rewritten with considerable foreign assistance:

"A team from Teachers College of Columbia University is writing schoolbooks for Afghanistan as it emerges from years of turmoil and ideological repression. The project is an unexpected consequence of the Iranian hostage crisis that began in 1979.

"One of the hostages held in the American Embassy in Tehran was Barry Rosen, then a young Peace Corps worker, who used his forced detention to learn Persian. Years later, after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Rosen persuaded Teachers College in New York, where he headed the press office, to resume its work of the 1970s in Afghanistan compiling school textbooks for the Ministry of Education.

"One of the main languages of Afghanistan, Dari, is closely related to Persian, so Rosen, who often dresses like an Afghan here, blends in easily. 'I felt we should return and pick up the work,' he said during a recent conversation here in Kabul, the Afghan capital. 'Our motives are our history here, and that education is the way to change lives'." As the report notes, "funded by the UN Children's Fund, the Teachers College group is rewriting the curriculum and all primary school textbooks, including language textbooks in four local languages, while introducing a style of teaching new to Afghan teachers and students that encourages student participation. The books will replace the outdated texts produced piecemeal in the turmoil of Afghanistan's last quarter century of conflict by international aid groups and rotating governments... 'This curriculum is free of ideology,' Abdul Nabi Wahidi, of the Ministry of Education, said of the new books. 'We just have two ideas, peace and stability, and human rights'."

And after years of isolation from the outside world, it's not just children who need to catch up on education; in Jalalabad, some 250 government workers have recently completed a basic computer literacy skills course.

In the area health, some innovative ways to provide better medical care are being tested:

"In one of his last duties before leaving the administration, Health and Human Services Department Secretary Tommy Thompson announced the delivery of 2,000 interactive health education books for women in Afghanistan.

"The 'talking books,' designed by LeapFrog Enterprises, use the same LeapPad learning technology as the company's storybooks for children. Thompson announced the program in August. It is aimed primarily at the 80% of Afghani women who cannot read or write, and the books cover more than 19 subjects, including diet, childhood immunization, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sanitation and water boiling, treating injuries and burns, and preventing disease.

"The books are available in both of Afghanistan's major languages, Dari and Pashto. They are the first product that LeapFrog developed for adults, according to the company." Meanwhile, Afghanistan's cash-strapped health sector is embarking on an experimental program to raise funds: "For the first time, patients are being asked to pay for treatment at public hospitals in Afghanistan. Although the constitution stipulates that all Afghans are entitled to free healthcare, a pilot programme being tested in the northern province of Balkh could change all that... The prices do not reflect the actual cost of the procedures but are simply a way for the hospital to raise badly needed money. Those too poor to pay can appeal to a local commission." Says Dr Mirwais Rabi, head of Balkh public hospital: "This is a very good programme for Afghanistan people... These contributions will go a long way to help us buy new equipment." "It is the best way of helping health centres stand on their own feet," agrees Dr Saeed, of the Afghan health ministry.

Dr Sima Samar, head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission notes the progress of human rights: there are still some "very serious violations" taking place and general security remains a problem, but "the human rights situation in Afghanistan is better than in previous years." She notes that "the main achievements is justification of the commission by the people. We have offices in Kabul and some of the provinces. At least the people of Afghanistan have seen AIHRC as somewhere to share their concerns and complaints. It is a significant development. In this country, three years ago no one could even mention the phrase 'human rights'. In the beginning, there was some propaganda against the commission among the public. Some elements who did not want public awareness on human rights spread allegations that the commission was against Afghan culture, and was spreading western culture and so on. But now we have proved that we are here to defend the rights of our suffering people and pursue the perpetrators of human rights violations."

Habibullah Qadiri, the chief adviser to the Afghan government on refugees and returnees, summarized the state of affairs on in his area of responsibility:

"Almost three million people have returned to Afghanistan from Iran, Pakistan and neighbouring countries. The returnees always bring skills with them from the countries they lived in and that has contributed to the economic development and reconstruction of the country.

"We can see many examples like we had in the past, carpentry by hand which has now been mechanised by the skills the returnees brought. In most fields, the returnees have brought up-to-date arts and trades. In some cases these people bring money to Afghanistan for investment. Also, Afghans who were getting remittances from their families oversees used to spend money in exile but now they spend it in Afghanistan." And as Afghan refugees continue pouring back to their homeland, the numbers of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) also continue to fall: "Officials at [the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation] said that the number of IDPs in Afghanistan fell sharply from 724,000 in December 2002 to 184,000 a year later." The problem hasn't been completely solved; "in 2004, only 17,000 IDPs have been assisted to return, leaving 167,000 people displaced in camps," but the improvement over the past three years is still considerable.

In media news, a recent survey shows that Radio Free Afghanistan is one of the most popular radio stations in Afghanistan:

"Nearly two thirds of Afghan radio listeners are tuning in to Radio Free Afghanistan, according to the results of a new survey conducted for RFE/RL by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).

"The survey showed a nationwide weekly listening rate of 61.6 percent to RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan broadcasts in Dari and Pashto, a rate that rises to 70 percent in the capital city of Kabul...

"RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan and the Voice of America (VOA) broadcast on a 24-hour single stream in Afghanistan. RFA provides local news and VOA supplies news about events around the world. The U.S. Congress appropriated funding to create Radio Free Afghanistan in December 2001, as part of an effort to build a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan following the successful U.S.-lead strike against the Taliban.

"When asked about the reliability of the news and information broadcast, strong majorities in the survey considered RFA and VOA to be trustworthy. Asked about general issues, 54 percent said they are favorable inclined toward the USA, 64 percent say things in Afghanistan are headed in the right direction, and, when asked to name the first thing that comes to mind when speaking of the USA, 40 percent said U.S. support for reconstruction of Afghanistan." As Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Thomas A. Dine says, "we are proud of what Radio Free Afghanistan has achieved in the past three years. Our emphasis on helping the entire country rise from the chaos of a quarter century of war is clearly appreciated by our listeners."

Meanwhile, efforts continue to build independent and professional media in Afghanistan: "The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is supporting plans to hold a national conference aimed at promoting the protection of journalists and freedom of _expression. The IFEX member led a meeting of the Committee to Establish the Afghanistan Independent Journalists Association (AIJA). The committee passed several resolutions at the meeting, including plans to hold a national conference in Kabul in April 2005 'with the aim of furthering the protection of journalists in Afghanistan and campaigning for freedom of _expression'." And "for the first time... the Reuters Foundation recently conducted photojournalism workshops in Afghanistan... In Kabul, 15 students participated in the training from December 8 to 12. The group included seven participants who traveled to the capital from various parts of the country."

In Afghanistan's cultural life, art stages a post-Taliban comeback:

"The newly repaired National Museum of Afghanistan has opened its first exhibition in 13 years, a display of life-size, pre-Islamic idols smashed by the Taliban three years ago and now painstakingly restored by museum and international experts.

"The wooden statues from Nuristan, one of Afghanistan's mountainous northeastern provinces, are an apt subject for an inaugural exhibition. Museum staff had worked hard to hide the collection from looters and Islamic fundamentalists intent on destroying all idols and artistic depictions of the human form. The figures, from what was formerly known as Kafiristan, or Land of the Heathens, are ancestor effigies and animistic and polytheistic gods, representing beliefs and traditions that were practiced there little more than 100 years ago.

" 'This is part of our culture and we should preserve it,' said Fauzia Hamraz, director of the ethnographic collection, who helped piece the statues back together. 'Our country is an Islamic country, but displaying these things will not destroy our religion'." As Hamraz says, this sort of exhibition would have been unheard of just over three years ago. Meanwhile, "an international mission has successfully secured and catalogued what remains of the site of the giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, blown up in 2001 by the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan... Teams from Japan and Italy had made some progress over the last two years in collecting and cataloguing the fragments of the destroyed statues and frescoes, as well as controlling visitor and other access to the site, and in the training of Afghan personnel." While, as report notes, there is no official word yet about the possible reconstruction of the famous statues, "Swiss scientists in 2003 developed three-dimensional computer models they said could function as blueprints for the Buddhas' reconstruction."

Lastly, to demonstrate that you're never too poor or too troubled to show human spirit and compassion for others, Afghanistan is sending a planeload of medicines and equipment and a dozen "war-hardened" medics to help with the tsunami relief in India and Sri Lanka.

RECONSTRUCTION: Having submitted a bid, strongly supported by the United States, to join the World Trade Organisation, Afghanistan has now been given an approval to open the membership negotiations: "Afghanistan, which [is] struggling to emerge from conflict, now faces several years of negotiations with other trading nations to adapt [its] laws and trade flows to global trade rules before [it] can hope to join the WTO." Says Ambassador Assad Omer, Permanent Representative of Afghanistan: "The peaceful completion of our first direct presidential elections... has heralded a new era of political stability... We believe that participation in the international trading system will lead to more trade, investment, technology transfer, employment and income growth throughout the economy."

Back home, Afghanistan's booming economy is starting to attract workers from neighboring Pakistan:

"Thousands of Pakistanis, mostly from the [North Western Border Province], are working in Afghanistan and many more are exploring opportunities to find work in the country. Estimates of Pakistanis working in Afghanistan vary from 30,000 to 50,000. The total could be even higher considering the fact that many Pakistanis have also found work in remote provinces such as Ghazni, Wardak, Helmand, etc where the Afghan government is apparently unable to keep a record of foreign workers.

"President Hamid Karzai was quoted as saying early this year that more than 30,000 Pakistanis are working in Afghanistan. Since then more Pakistanis have found work in Afghanistan, mostly in the construction sector. Skilled Pakistani workers are in big demand, considering the fact that there aren’t many Afghans, who have acquired the skills of electricians, plumbers, carpenters, masons, steel-fixers, etc. Another sector where Pakistanis are welcome to work is information technology." On the streets of Kabul, scarred by decades of bloody conflict, another - previously unimaginable - war unfolds:

"In order to entice more customers to use their mobile phones, the Afghan wireless communication company (AWCC) is reported to be handing out free AWCC sim cards with credit in exchange for their main mobile competitor Roshan in the capital Kabul.

"Speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News, an employee at the AWCC offices in Kabul said AWCC sim cards with credit were being exchanged for Roshan cards. A man living in Kart-e-Sakhi, Sayed Ali Shah said he exchanged his Roshan for an AWCC. 'The Roshan mobile coverage was not good enough in the area where he lived.'

"A spokesman for AWCC, Mohammad Nayem Haqmal told Pajhwok that the network coverage was patchy in some areas: 'People have complained about the mobile coverage of Roshan and are keen to use Afghan Wireless instead, so we exchange the Roshan in return for an AWCC sim card.' The Roshan Telephone Company that has more network coverage in Afghanistan including some of the rural provinces like Bamyan says it's helpless to this latest ploy. 'We have no option, because it's a commercial competitor,' said the head of the company Khwaja Karim." Beats skirmishes between warlords. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's once famous industry is starting to stage a comeback:

"Afghanistan, long famed for its dried fruits and nuts, is gearing up to enter the lucrative international market for dehydrated vegetables. The first Afghan factory to process vegetable dehydrates for export will begin operation in January 2005, with soup pots in Europe the initial target.

"The Parwan Dehydrates Factory, an hour's drive north from Kabul, has already contracted its 2005 production of dried vegetables, valued at $1.2 million, to buyers in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.

"The strong demand from Europe could lead to five to seven additional factories, according to Erica Oppegard of Development Works, Canada. She said when more factories are up and running, Afghanistan might be able to extend its exports to the United States and Canada.

"Development Works Canada is a subcontractor for a wide-ranging agricultural rehabilitation program in Afghanistan that is financed by the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and managed by the U.S.-based Chemonics International. The budget for the project is $3.1 million with $2.3 million provided by USAID/Chemonics and $800,000 by Development Works Canada." Some 1,400 farmers are sub-contracted to provide vegetables for the factory and additional 400 women farmers - all war widows - will be supplying sundried tomatoes. Eventually, between 6,000 and 7,000 farmers will be involved in the project.

German authorities in cooperation with the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization are planning, meanwhile, to rebuild Afghanistan's only sugar factory. "Located in Baghlan Province 250 km north of Kabul and built by Germany in 1930s, [it] was badly damaged and ceased operation due to over a quarter century of war and civil strife. At present, Afghanistan imports 300,000 tons of sugar annually mostly from the neighboring countries, Pakistan in particular." So far, Germany has funded some $22.4 million worth of aid projects through the Food and Agriculture Organisation, "of which $17.1 million have been earmarked for 14 projects on agriculture, food security and nut ration in Afghanistan."

Locked out of the economy by the Taliban, Afghan women are now leading the small business revival throughout the country - thanks to financial micro-assistance:

"At an awards ceremony last month honouring entrepreneurs who have successfully started up small businesses with the assistance of various microfinance programmes, 18 of the 23 recipients were women. Mustafa Kazemi, the minister of commerce, congratulated the female winners and noted that they are part of a long tradition of women being active in the business world. Noting that the wife of the Prophet Muhammad ran her own business, Kazemi said, 'We should have female businesses in our country, too.'

"The awards ceremony was part of a worldwide effort by the United Nations to call attention to microcredit and microfinance programmes. Such programmes provide small loans, sometimes amounting to only 100 US dollars, to individuals who would otherwise not be able to borrow the money necessary to start their own businesses...

"Five non-governmental organisations, NGOs, that operate microcredit programmes in the country - CARE International, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, BRAC, Parwaz, an Afghan NGO, the Paris-based Mission d'Aide au Développement des Economies Rurales en Afghanistan, Madera, and the Washington-based Foundation for International Community Assistance, FINCA, nominated businesspeople for the awards, with 300 dollar and 100 dollar prizes...

"Shaqila, the programme's chief loan supervisor in Herat, said her organisation has given loans to 250 women there since 2003. She said that most of the women have taken out loans out to start carpet-weaving or clothes-making businesses. Each is loaned 6,000 afghanis [$120] to start with and after three months, if they’ve paid it back, they can borrow up to 10,000 afghanis [$200] more. If they pay back that amount after four months, they then can borrow up to 15,000 afghanis [$300]. FINCA requires that borrowers put up collateral for the first loan.

"Katrin Fakiri, the Afghan-American director of Parwaz, said her organisation, has given loans to 600 women living in Kabul province since 2003 and has plans to expand to the central province of Wardak and southern province of Ghazni." Read some of the inspirational stories, for example that of Mah Gul, a 40 year old tailor from Herat ("Three months ago I was given 6,000 afghanis [$120] by FINCA to start making curtains and clothes.... If there was nobody to lend the money to me, I would have to go to the houses of rich people to work there and wash their clothes."), or Faree Gul, a 48-year-old widow from Kabul, who was lent 5,000 afghanis ($100) three months ago ("I started a female-run bakery, and business is getting better day by day," says Gul. "She now employs all six members of her family and plans to apply for another loan so she can build an additional bakery."), or Zia Jan, an illiterate 36-year-old seamstress from Kabul ("I was given 5,000 afghanis [$100] by Parwaz and I bought three sewing machines. Now I earn 6,000 afghanis [$120] a month."). In Afghanistan, even little things can make a huge difference to the lives and livelihoods of people. On a smaller scale, one Western woman is trying to achieve similar results:

"An American Christian woman in Kabul is helping Afghan widows begin new lives. She does it by teaching them marketable skills and, by comforting them in their grief.

"Donna Islami is the founder of Helping Hands. She told us, 'When I arrived in Afghanistan, I really had a burden for the women, especially the widows. Many of them were so destitute. There are no jobs that women can take. Most of them are illiterate.'

"Deeply moved by the miserable plight of the Afghan widows, Donna Islami established Helping Hands to give these women a chance to a better future. This organization gives free education and domestic service training to Afghan widows, to prepare them for employment in the western community living in Afghanistan.

"Donna Islami added, 'We teach them how to cook western meals, how to clean a house and how to do laundry. And then we find jobs for the ladies and put them to work. We're just starting a bakery program and we're going to teach them to bake western style cakes, and help them through micro-financing to start a cooperative business.'

"Islami continued, 'The third program we have is the beauty academy. We will train women to become beauticians in both Western and Afghan styles. Beauty is a huge part of the Afghan woman culture. They wear the chuddar and the burkah but underneath they are very beautiful women. They are very concerned with fashion, style, make-up and hair.' On top of all the training, since the widows are mostly illiterate, they are taught how to read and write." The Afghan authorities and United Nations are also trying to do more to generate employment for Afghan women: "Afghanistan's Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) is seeking employment opportunities for tens of thousands of unqualified women in the country. The initiative is part of newly created UN backed employment services centres which are expected to operate in nine provinces of the country, according to MOWA. The centres will be established to tackle unemployment and provide training opportunities for unqualified job seekers, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO)."

Another major infrastructure project gets underway in western Afghanistan (scroll down):

"Reconstruction work of the Salma dam, in eastern Herat was officially opened by the Indian Ambassador to Kabul, Week Katchoo on Thursday with the help of US$79 million aid from the Indian government. The Indian ambassador to Kabul, Week Katchoo, said two Indian engineers will be overseeing the project. It is estimated that the project will take four years to complete and the dam itself will be rebuilt first and then the irrigation systems and then its power-producing turbines and machines.

"The Salma dam was originally constructed in 1976 on the Hari Rud river Basin in Northwest Afghanistan. The reconstruction will provide the water requirements of Herat province and support a 42 MW of hydropower for the province when completed. It would also increase irrigation capacity of nearly 25,000 hectares of agricultural land, according to a spokesman for the Herat governor spokesman, Mohammadullah Afzali. Ambassador Week said they will also use the money to rebuild the 170km-long road leading to the site in Chesht district." Speaking of irrigation, the Asian Development Bank has approved a $10-million grant from the Bank's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to improve irrigation networks and water resource management in the Balkh river basin:

"Water management in the area covering thousands of hectares has traditionally been organized under mirabs, or locally elected leaders responsible for the irrigation system.

"A system for water allocation also existed, the [Bank] noted. 'However, 25 years of civil unrest has weakened these traditional institutions for water management,' the bank said, adding that most irrigation systems are also in poor condition and lack modern designs. The grant will go to rehabilitate and upgrade traditional irrigation systems, the [Bank] said." The World Bank, meanwhile, will be faciliating the signing of a water treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Read also this story of the cooperative effort between the Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO) and the Herat University's School of Agriculture to help improve agriculture in the province. And in other infrastructure news, the Afghan government has signed an agreement with various NGOs for the construction of government buildings throughout the country.

In transport news, Asian Development Bank is providing a concessional loan of $80 million for the construction of roads through some of the least developed areas of Afghanistan: "The project will reconstruct the last unpaved section of the national primary ring road, spanning 210 kilometers from Andkhoy to Qaisar.

"The road improvements will dramatically decrease travel times and vehicle operating costs, providing better access to health, education and other services, and improved agricultural prices, to at least 800,000 in the project area, half of whom live below the poverty line.

"The project is part of a coordinated international assistance to improve the road connecting Herat to Andkhoy, which will become a major north-south link across the central mountains, and significantly improve the stability and reliability of Afghanistan's transport system.

"The road will also form a major road transport corridor from Central Asia to the warm water ports in the south, contributing to economic growth and poverty reduction in the subregion.

"Beside bringing the project road to asphalt-paved standard, to allow the smooth passage of heavy vehicles, the project will finance installation of road toll facilities, including toll plazas, computer and communications equipment for national primary roads supported by international assistance." In other transport network developments, "the Kabul-Kandahar road is open and the final surfacing expected to be completed [soon]... On Kandahar-Herat road, the Japanese government is tasked with construction of the first 71 miles... Saudi Arabia is funding the next 71 miles, with the United States completing the final 200 miles. The United States has built camps for workers, established construction control systems, and begun work on concrete and asphalt plants while preparing the existing concrete road for new surfacing. Construction has also begun on six of the ten secondary roads projects."

India and Pakistan, meanwhile, are discussing the possibility of opening a transport route from Afghanistan to India through Pakistan, taking advantage in the improving Indian-Pakistani relations. The economic boost to landlocked Afghanistan would of course be considerable. Also, a new railway link will connect Afghanistan and Pakistan: "The first phase... that would take more than a year[,] would link Chaman [in Pakistan] with Spin Boldak in Afghanistan. Later, the link would be further expanded to Kandhar and later on Khushka, the border point of Turkmenistan which would take nearly five years involving international funding."

And on another transport axis, governments of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan have signed an agreement to build trans-Afghan land corridor, a 2,400-km road linking both landlocked countries with the Pakistani coast of the Indian Ocean.

In banking news, Iran's Aryan Bank has officially opened its first branch in Kabul, with two more, in Herat and Kandahar, expected to open as soon as security situation allows. There are now 11 foreign banks operating in Afghanistan. Speaking of Iran, "based on a 5-year commitment, Iran is due to donate 50 million dollars annually to the war-torn country... The total donation will reach 250 million dollars by 2006... [Iran is] implementing 16 development projects in Afghanistan including the construction of Herat-Dogharoun road, implementation of a project to provide Herat's water and electricity and construction of a technical and vocational center in Herat."

HUMANITARIAN AID: The Afghan government is streamlining and cleaning up the humanitarian aid effort throughout the country:

"International aid agencies in Afghanistan have welcomed a government audit of the humanitarian aid sector aimed at weeding out corruption and the misuse of international aid money.

"Afghanistan's government launched a probe last week of humanitarian organisations working in the country in a move long sought by the frustrated aid community.

"With new four-wheel-drive vehicles and comfortable offices and residences, the humanitarian community is seen as living in incomprehensible luxury by ordinary Afghans who believe reconstruction is proceeding too slowly.

"The investigation was announced the day after the resignation of planning minister Ramazan Bachardoust, who was heavily criticised over his proposal to dissolve more than 2,000 non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

"President Hamid Karzai's spokesman Jawed Ludin told a news conference on Tuesday that 'hundreds, probably thousands' of aid groups were misusing aid money due to the absence of a legal framework to oversee their activities. 'The money granted to NGOs is sacred and is for the pursuance of the well-being of the Afghan people. This money has to be spent transparently and where it is supposed to be spent,' he said." On the ground, one Western organisation is killing two birds with one stone: improving security and helping local livelihoods: "Turning mines to vines has been the mission of Roots of Peace (RoP) founder and director Heidi Kuhn since she began her efforts to rid the world of landmines in September of 1997, after the death of Princess Diana... The rich agricultural area of the Shomali Plains, about 30 miles north of Kabul... has a 7,000-year tradition of growing grapes, and at one time boasted 70 different varieties... Through a myriad of donors, the San Rafael-based organization raised the largest private demining donation in the history of Afghanistan... Last summer, 300 Afghan deminers removed more than 100,000 landmines from this region, which this month will yield 80 tons of grapes to be exported to India. 'It gives me great pride and great hope to know there will be a harvest of hope in the next week,' Kuhn enthused." You can find out more about the organization's work here.

A teacher from Virginia, meanwhile, is trying to make a difference for the school kids of Afghanistan: