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09/9/2010

News/ AFGHANISTAN NEWS

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Afghanistan news

by 2006-06-12

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2006-06-12

AFGHANISTAN: NATO PROMISES ROBUST ACTION IN SOUTH [10:04:00]

Defense ministers representing the 37 nations participating in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force for Afghanistan (ISAF) met June 8 with their Afghan counterpart Abdul Rahim Wardak in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer promised after the meeting that the alliance would "stay the course" in Afghanistan in the face of a resurgent Taliban insurgency in the south. He also called on the international community to step in with more development aid. ’Test’ for ISAF NATO-led ISAF troops are in the process of moving into the south, which will nearly double ISAF’s strength in Afghanistan, to some 17,000 troops. ISAF’s expansion, led by Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Canada, is scheduled to be complete by late July. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said June 8 that ISAF is being "tested" in a hitherto "relatively ungoverned space." "Are we meeting resistance? Yes, we meet resistance, of course, because there are spoilers of the democratic process in Afghanistan who do not like to see NATO and its partners coming to the south," de Hoop Scheffer said. "They want progress to stop. [The] Taliban? Yes, certainly [the] Taliban, but also narco-traffickers, other criminals. But let no one doubt NATO’s resolve [or] capability." De Hoop Scheffer said NATO and its ISAF partners will have the necessary forces and "robust" rules of engagement to prevail against the Taliban. He also reiterated a long-standing promise that NATO will "stay the course" in Afghanistan and not leave before the country is secure. Minister Predicts Quick End to Unrest Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak was upbeat in his assessment of the southern insurgency. He said it represented a short-lived attempt to take advantage of the handover of the responsibility for security in the region from the US-led coalition to ISAF. And he said it was calculated to unsettle public opinion in Europe and elsewhere. "I think we have taken the necessary measures," Wardak said. "I have just come from that region, three, four weeks back I was there, and I think we will have maybe one or two months [during] which there will be a little bit of crisis, but with the measures already taken and also our joint operation plan, jointly with ISAF and [the] Afghan National Army, in a short period, I think, you will see a drastic change." Wardak appealed to ISAF nations to intensify their training of Afghan troops. An official present at the ISAF-Afghan meeting -- which was the first of its kind -- said Wardak had also asked for more equipment and complained that the weapons donated by Western countries are often substandard. Wardak said that with proper assistance Afghanistan could at some point in future field an army of 70,000 men -- enough, he said, to secure the country internally. More Than Security Needed The NATO diplomat said the prevalent feeling in today’s ISAF-Afghan meeting was that the country is in need of urgent measures that go beyond security. Drug trafficking is a long-established concern, and a number of ministers urged more effective and better standardized police-training programs. The need for action against poverty, and for the rehabilitation of health care and education sectors were singled out by a number of ministers, mostly representing Northern Europe. De Hoop Scheffer also called for broader international assistance. "There’s much more work to be done in Afghanistan and there it is important that NATO, the European Union, the United Nations, the G8 [Group of Eight] group of industrial rich nations also are standing shoulder-to-shoulder to see that this is a longer term commitment vis-a-vis the people and government of Afghanistan. NATO will do its part, NATO will provide security," he said. "But that’s only one leg of the stool and there are other legs." Promisingly, the June 8 meeting was also attended by an EU representative who said Brussels, among the biggest donors in the country, is ready to directly fund reconstruction projects. However, the projects will need to be civilian in nature and separate from NATO-led operations.

EURASIA_NET

AFGHANISTAN: NATION PROTECTS STORIED BACTRIAN TREASURE [10:03:00]

More than two decades of war and conflict in Afghanistan had a catastrophic effect on the country’s rich and unique cultural and historical heritage. But some ancient works of art survived unscathed. They include the famed Bactrian gold collection. The cache lay dormant under the Hill of Gold, or Tillya-tepe, for 2,000 years until Soviet archeologists exposed it shortly before the 1979 invasion. Decades later, it was rediscovered and unveiled in 2003 to ease fears that it had been plundered during wartime. RFE/RL examines the storied Bactrian gold -- and why Afghans and the rest of the world must wait to see it. Afghanistan’s parliament -- eager to protect what remains of the country’s heritage -- in May rejected a proposal to send the Bactrian gold on a world tour. The priceless collection has been displayed only rarely, and very few people have ever seen it. But the director of Kabul’s national museum, Omara Khan Massoudi, is among the lucky few. "They are very delicate pieces," Massoudi says. "Gold pieces constitute most of the treasure, and they doubtlessly have great value in shedding light on the history of Afghanistan and its elegant arts. We are proud that we still have the collection with us." Found at a 2,000-year-old burial site of rich Kushan nomads, Massoudi says the collection contains thousands of pieces of gold jewelry, figurines, funeral ornaments, and personal belongings. The hoard was discovered in 1978 and 1979 by a group of Afghan and Soviet archeologists led by a Greek-Russian archaeologist named Victor Sariyannidis. "The Bactrian treasure was found in Jowzjan Province in six graves that belong to the first century [before Christ] and the first decade of the Christian calendar," Massoudi says. "It totaled 21,618 pieces. It was delivered to the [Afghan] National Museum the same year, in 1979." Out of Sight, Not Mind About a year later, some of the pieces were displayed briefly in an exhibition at the museum in Kabul. But with the arrival of Soviet troops and other threats, the treasure was hidden away in the museum. In 1988, the gold pieces were transferred to a highly secure vault within the central bank at the compound of the Afghan presidential palace. The treasure was viewed only once in the next few years -- when President Mohammad Najibullah wanted foreign diplomats to see that the Soviets had not absconded with it. "During the rule of Dr. Najibullah, we had a one-day exhibition of these works in the Arg Palace," Massoudi says. Years of civil war followed, during which a significant portion of Afghanistan’s historical heritage was looted or destroyed. Loyal bankers thwarted efforts by various sides in the ensuing years to even see the Bactrian gold. But such secrecy also spawned speculation that the treasure had been lost, stolen, or perhaps worse: melted down. Cache Found Finally, after the central bank’s vaults were opened in 2003, the country was assured that the treasure was safe. An internationally aided inventory followed, and the 22,000 pieces were photographed and catalogued in Dari and English. In 2004, several items were displayed to selected guests -- including President Hamid Karzai, cabinet ministers, foreign diplomats, and some media. National Museum Director Massoudi says security concerns, inadequate facilities to house the treasure, and a lack of expertise conspire against the Afghan public, which will have to wait to see the Bactrian gold: "It is very difficult for me to predict [when the Bactrian gold might be displayed publicly]," Massoudi says. "As you know, Kabul’s National Museum was severely damaged during the civil war -- [about 70 percent of] its items were looted. Following the fall of the Taliban, with the Culture Ministry and the help of international organizations -- especially UNESCO -- we have done our best to restore the museum. But we are still facing many problems." Protected for Posterity The world will also have to wait to see the Afghan treasure. The Afghan parliament in May rejected a proposal to exhibit the collection in a tour of European and US museums. Parliamentarian Shukria Barekzai tells RFE/RL that too many risks are involved to allow this iconic Afghan treasure to travel. "Lack of strong insurance from a reliable company was one issue. There were also concerns that these objects could be destroyed or damaged," Barekzai says. "Their packing was also of concern -- and [there were fears] that they could be replaced with replicas. All of these led to the decision [not to tour it]. We don’t want to lose what is left of our historical heritage. We have lost enough of our archeological heritage. We have to do our best to preserve what is left." Barekzai adds that lawmakers are not opposed to displaying the collection. On the contrary -- with the right measures in place, they want the world to see more of Afghanistan’s proud history. "Every nation likes to display its rich history and its past," Barekzai says. "We might also try to have an international museum inside Afghanistan to attract more tourists to come to Afghanistan and see the historical heritage of this land -- some of which may be unique in the world." Barekzai says that exhibiting the Bactrian gold could buoy the spirits of beleaguered Afghans and help strengthen national identity by documenting a proud history. Two thousand years after it was deposited in the Bactrian soil, it might also continue to inspire future generations.

EURASIA_NET

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2007

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2005

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2003

2003 - 12 - [22] [20] [18] [15] [11] [09] [02]
2003 - 11 - [26] [14] [12] [10]
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