Central Asia/Russia


	May 25, 2002	atimes.com

Central Asia/Russia

Tribal conflicts threaten Afghan democracy
By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS - Tribal conflicts in Afghanistan threaten to derail the creation of a multi-ethnic, democratically elected government in that war-ravaged country, a senior UN official warned on Thursday.

Kieran Prendergast, UN undersecretary general for political affairs, told the Security Council that the loya jirga, a meeting of political and tribal leaders that is the first phase of an elective process, is in danger of being undermined because of the uncertain security situation in Afghanistan.

"It is clear that different parts of the country remain under the sway of different commanders," Prendergast told delegates.

The loya jirga, scheduled to take place in mid-June, has been widely described as the most important political event in Afghanistan since the formation of the US-backed Interim Administration last December. Prendergast said some tribal commanders are known to be loyal to members of the Interim Administration headed by Hamid Karzai. "But this does not necessarily make them loyal to the Interim Administration itself, and this is an important distinction," he said.

Some tribal commanders have referred to Karzai as a stooge or puppet of the United States. Prendergast specifically singled out Bacha Khan Zadran, who controls the provinces of Khost and Paktia, where US forces have been trying to hunt down al-Qaeda rebel forces. Karzai, who has declared Zadran a wanted killer, has sent his handpicked representative, Hakim Taniwal, to oust the tribal leader, but with no success.

"Karzai is nothing. He is a common man," news reports quoted Zadran as saying last week in defiance of the Interim Administration's efforts to oust him. Noting that Karzai's appointment is temporary, he added: "Nobody supports him."

Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawa of Japan, which is providing millions of dollars in assistance to Afghanistan, told the Security Council that the international community is receiving mixed signals from the country.

"While it is encouraging that preparations for the loya jirga are proceeding more or less as planned, there are small-scale armed confrontations commonly occurring in various parts of the country," said Yoshikawa. "There are signs that attempts at intimidation may be affecting the loya jirga process itself. This deeply worries my delegation," the Japanese envoy added.

Mohammed Rahim, one of the delegates to the loya jirga from Ghor province, was killed last week. UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday: "There is, at this point, no evidence of political motivation but we are still looking into it."

US Ambassador Richard Williamson told the Security Council that the loya jirga would not take place in a security vacuum. "Clearly, the situation is still very fluid, and the United States will remain focused on this issue," he said. To that end, the United States continues to monitor the security situation on the ground beyond Kabul, he added, and "we believe that United States and coalition efforts to address the security imperatives beyond Kabul have been successful to date".

Prendergast told the Security Council that the Interim Administration is in a position of having to assert its authority with little capacity to do so. Karzai's strongest military ally is the British-led, 4,500-strong multinational International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) created by the Security Council last year. But ISAF is mandated to monitor the security situation only in the capital, Kabul.

Despite appeals by Karzai, the Council refused on Thursday to extend ISAF's mandate beyond Kabul, citing fears that multinational troops may get caught in the crossfire between warring tribal factions. The Council, however, decided to extend the life of ISAF for an additional period of six months beyond June 20.

Prendergast said the creation of a new Afghan army is estimated to cost about US$300 million in the first year. Afghanistan has already received pledges from 10 countries to help create the new 80,000-strong military force, up from the original 68,000. The 10 countries - the United States, Britain, Germany, Italy, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Iran, China and Turkey - will provide mostly arms and military training. Afghanistan will also have a paramilitary force of about 70,000 personnel consisting mostly of a national police force.

The Interim Administration has earmarked about $235 million for military spending in 2002, primarily for the purchase of weapons and for payment of wages for soldiers. The money will also be used for infrastructure building because all of the military barracks, he said, were destroyed over a 22-year period during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the civil war that followed.

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US special envoy to Afghanistan, said last month that Washington was proposing to increase and speed up security assistance to the Interim Administration because of threats from "multiple armies" in Afghan provinces.

Prendergast said Afghanistan also needs about $80 million to demobilize and reintegrate some 200,000 ex-combatants into civil society. He pointed out that the creation of new Afghan security institutions is going to take time. "I would therefore wish to remind this Council that the security situation in Afghanistan, and in particular outside Kabul, remains a major concern."

(Inter Press Service)