|
U.S. Pledges $320 Million in Aid to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (IslamOnline and News Agencies) - U.S. President George W. Bush announced $295 million in new aid to Afghanistan and neighboring states today as part of a wide-ranging humanitarian effort planned by the United States before and after military strikes, the
Washington Post reported.
The United States would for the first time use Iranian territory to ferry humanitarian aid directly to the Afghan people, a senior U.S. official said here Thursday, Agence France-Press (AFP) reported.
"The Iranians are very enthused about this," said Andrew Natsios, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
After being contacted by the World Food Program (WFP), Iran pledged their support saying "Absolutely. Use us."
Today's announcement totaled $320 million for Afghanistan and neighboring states suffering from drought. The total includes the $25 million Bush had authorized September 28th.
The administration said the new money announced today would be provided through United Nations assistance agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, non-governmental organizations, and through direct provision of food and relief supplies.
"America will stand strong and will oppose the sponsors of terror, and America will stand strong and help those people who are hurt by those regimes," Bush said.
"We are engaged in a noble cause, and that is to say loud and clear to the evil-doers that we reject you, that we will stand firm against terror, and that this great nation - along with many other nations - will defend freedom."
Natsios said that although U.S. aid had already transited through Iran in the past to reach other neighbors of Afghanistan, this would mark the first time the aid would move directly through Iran to Afghanistan, AFP reported.
"This is the first time we've done that. And we've agreed to that, and we're going to do that," he added.
The USAID chief said the move was part of a wider plan to store food aid in all countries bordering Afghanistan to avoid maintaining stocks within Afghanistan itself for security reasons.
Natsios also said that Tehran feared that the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan ahead of anticipated U.S. military reprisals for the September 11th terror strikes on U.S. targets might trigger a new influx of refugees. Iran is already sheltering 1.5 million Afghan refugees.
"The Iranian government has a large interest in not having large refugee flows across the border," he said. "To the extent that we can move food through their country or any of the other neighboring countries into the villages themselves, it's in their interest for us to do it, so they facilitate."
Bush has demanded that Afghanistan's Taliban rulers turn over Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden, whom he blames for the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, or face U.S. military action.
The Taliban militia, for its part, has asked for concrete evidence linking bin Laden to the attack, stating that they would prosecute him or turn him over to an international court if such evidence is provided. The U.S. has refused to supply evidence or negotiate with Taliban leaders.
The U.S. aid package, "is our way of saying that while we firmly and strongly oppose the Taliban regime, we are friends of the Afghan people," Bush said.
|
