7 - 13 February 2002
Issue No.572
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 7 - 13 February 2002 Issue No.572 |
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Guess who's coming to dinner?
Although wined and dined by the rich and powerful on his whirlwind tour around the globe, Hamid Karzai failed to obtain the cash initially pledged to rebuild Afghanistan, writes Anayat Durrani
Since having been sworn in as Afghanistan's appointed interim chairman in late December, Hamid Karzai has set out against all odds to rebuild his war-torn country.
Upon assuming his new position, Karzai promised to "fulfill my mission to bring peace to Afghanistan," and has taken this pledge all the way to Washington and several other cities worldwide.
Karzai was sworn in as head of the six-month United Nations- backed administration on 22 December, after being named interim chairman earlier that month at a meeting in Germany of Afghan opposition groups. His rise to power comes following the defeat of the formerly ruling Taliban by a US-led coalition. Karzai is a Pashtun tribal leader from Kandahar and comes from the same clan as former Afghan King Zahir Shah.
In his short time as interim leader, Karzai has already emerged as an international figure, admired for his determination and charm. In a little over a month, he has travelled to Saudi Arabia, Japan, China and Tajikistan, and most recently the United States and Britain. Karzai has soaked up the international spotlight, lauded not only for his efforts at rebuilding his nation, but for his hip fashion sense. His look has been called "Kabul chic" -- furry hat and signature green traditional kaftan -- and is reportedly all the rage in fashion circles.
Karzai has concentrated much of his efforts on trying to raise funds to rebuild Afghanistan, which sent him on his first international tour since taking office. He met Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah Bin Abdel-Aziz in Riyadh to discuss bilateral relations and to raise reconstruction funds.
This was followed by a two-day international conference in Tokyo, which drew representatives from about 60 countries and organisations. Donors pledged more than $4.5 billion to rebuild Afghanistan, including $1.8 billion for the first year. The majority of the funds will come from Japan, the US, the European Union and Saudi Arabia. A report prepared by the UN, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank estimated Afghanistan's overall need to be $15 billion over a decade, with $5 billion needed in the critical first 30 months and $10 billion in the first five years. Though pledges for the first year exceeded expectations, donations fell short of the $10 billion, five-year goal.
Afghanistan has suffered 23 years of war and was one of the world's poorest countries even before the US launched its war on terrorism in October. About two-thirds of the adult Afghan population is illiterate. Nearly 3,000 people are maimed by land mines in Afghanistan each year. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States would pledge $296 million this fiscal year as its first instalment to help Afghanistan, in addition to the $400 million in humanitarian assistance already committed. Powell reaffirmed the US commitment to Afghanistan saying, "President Bush has made it clear that the United States will not abandon the people of Afghanistan."
Another stop on Karzai's itinerary was the city of Beijing, where he met top Chinese leaders. The visit to China, which shares a short border with Afghanistan, was sought to strengthen the relationship between the two countries as well as to discuss additional financial assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. China has pledged $1 million to help Afghanistan's reconstruction efforts and more than $3.5 million in humanitarian aid. China may also contribute additional funds in the future.
Karzai's trip to Washington marked the first time an Afghan leader has visited the United States in nearly 40 years. Former King Zahir Shah was the last Afghan leader to visit Washington, at the invitation of President John F Kennedy in 1963. A day before meeting President George W Bush, Karzai spoke at Washington's Georgetown University calling on Afghan- Americans in the audience to return to their homeland to help rebuild their country. He said those who returned would be granted dual citizenship. "You are the ones who are trained. You are the ones who are academics. You are the ones who have professional training," Karzai said. "Come back to your country, and we will welcome you."
Karzai met President Bush the following day. During the meeting, Bush pledged an additional $50 million in credit to help rebuild Afghanistan and training for a national military and police force in Afghanistan. "The United States is committed to building a lasting partnership with Afghanistan. We will help the new Afghan government provide the security that is the foundation for peace," Bush said. During his visit to the United States, Karzai was warmly received. He was seated next to first lady Laura Bush during the State of the Union address and visited Ground Zero at the World Trade Center in New York.
He also gave a speech to the UN Security Council in which he asked for additional troops to be sent to Afghanistan and to extend their mandate beyond six months. "The extension of the presence of multinational forces in Kabul and expanding their presence to other major cities will signal the ongoing commitment of the international community to peace and security in Afghanistan," Karzai told the 15-nation Security Council.
While US officials have encouraged an expanded multinational peace-keeping force, they have no plans to commit US troops. The contribution of troops by other countries has been under discussion. En route from the US, the Afghan leader stopped in London to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair. During their meeting, Karzai repeated his appeal for an expanded role for the multinational peace-keeping forces in Afghanistan. Blair said he was "very proud of the role our troops have played" and assured Karzai that they would be committed to "long-term" British military involvement, but said there was "a limit to what we can do." The 3,000-strong British-led security force already patrolling Kabul is expected to number about 5,000 by the end of the month. The force's security mandate expires in June.
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