ALMATY, Kazakhstan
- Former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah
warns that the government of President Hamid
Karzai suffers from "shortcomings in strategic
vision" that are contributing to a deteriorating
security situation in an ethnically diverse
country.
In an interview with Inter Press
Service (IPS) writer Peyman Pejman, on the
sidelines of the annual Eurasia Media Forum in
Almaty, Abdullah, who was minister from 1998 to
2004, said lack of attention on the part of the
Karzai government to several
economically deprived
provinces has made it possible for the Taliban to
return.
IPS: How far has
Afghanistan progressed over these past five years?
AA: The country could have
been - should have been - in a much better state
after five years. We have come a long way, but
security and the issues of governance and economic
development are still serious issues.
IPS: What exactly went
wrong?
AA: What went wrong?
I think we somewhat took the support of the people
and the international community for granted and
did not pay enough attention to the business of
the people. We went on as if it was business as
usual.
IPS: What do you mean
by a lack of strategic vision?
AA: I mean governance issues
related to lack of clear vision about where the
country should go and how to get the people
involved. The government has not implemented any
strategic vision. There are a lot of questions
about government operations and people are not
satisfied with the performance and the programs.
IPS: What is the missing
factor?
AA: Coordination is
lacking. Even between the foreign allies and their
Afghan partners coordination has been inadequate.
I think everyone involved, Afghans and the
international community, should review the
situation and level of progress. Based on the
lessons of the past five years, new strategies
should be defined to get the people involved in
every sense.
IPS: The Karzai
government must have done some things right?
AA: I would credit the
government with one thing - getting the people and
former warlords to enter the political process
instead of settling scores on the battlefield. But
even here, popular participation in the process
has been low.
IPS: What is
the big challenge for Afghanistan at this point?
AA: One of the biggest
challenges that the Karzai government has failed
to deal with adequately is security. In recent
months, security in several parts of Afghanistan
has deteriorated, and the Taliban and al-Qaeda
have stepped up their attacks on the [North
Atlantic Treaty Organization]-led forces. It is
still a main problem that the core security in the
country [lies in the] presence of foreign forces,
with the exception of some Afghan police and
troops that have been trained.
IPS: How serious is the
threat posed by Taliban resurgence?
AA: In some parts of the
country, the Taliban have complete control of the
districts. Although the number of these districts
is still small, the mere return of the old foes
should ring a much louder alarm bell.
IPS: Would you, like Karzai,
lay blame for the Taliban's resurgence at
Pakistan's door?
AA: Many of
the leaders are in Pakistan. There have been
sustained reports that Karzai's government has
been in back-channel contacts with the Taliban to
bring them into the government and the political
process. But these efforts as a whole will fail
because of the Taliban's stance on many issues.
The Taliban as a military and political
organization has an agenda which, in many parts,
is contrary to the principles of the democratic
system and runs counter to the articles of the
Afghan constitution.
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
