New This Week From Afghanistan Watch

• Karzai Asks for More Control of International Aid—and a Long-term Security Deal with the U.S.
  
• Thousands of Villagers Protest Poppy Eradication
  
• Other News

April 14, 2005

KABUL, Apr 13 (ABC)—President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday he is preparing a formal request to President Bush for a long-term security partnership that could include a permanent U.S. military presence.

At a joint news conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Karzai said he had consulted many of his country's citizens in recent weeks about "a strategic security relationship," with the United States that could help Afghanistan avoid foreign interference and military conflicts.

"The conclusion we have drawn is that the Afghan people want a long-term relationship with the United States," Karzai said. "They want this relationship to be a sustained economic and political relationship and most importantly of all, a strategic security relationship to enable Afghanistan to defend itself, to continue to prosper, to stop the possibility of interferences in Afghanistan."

Thousands of Villagers Protest Poppy Eradication

One dead as Afghan poppy farmers protest

KABUL, Apr 13 (ITV)—Afghan anti-narcotics agents have stopped destroying opium poppies in a southern village a day after one person was killed during protests. Nine were also wounded when angry farmers protested against the eradication of their crop. The halt was to allow authorities time to negotiate with elders of the village in Kandahar province to persuade them to stop their opposition to the anti-drug drive, a government official said.

"We expect to start the operation after the talks and after addressing the concerns of the people over the destruction of their fields," said Interior Ministry spokesman Lufullah Mashal. Several thousand villagers protested against the destruction of their fields on Tuesday and many of them clashed with the forces involved.

Other News

Afghanistan Seeks to Become Master of Its Own Aid

KABUL, Apr 4, by Sayed Salahuddin (Reuters)—An annual meeting of donor countries contributing billions of dollars to Afghanistan's reconstruction opened Monday with a plea from President Hamid Karzai to let his three-month-old government take a leading role. A fierce debate is raging over slow progress in making Afghans' everyday life easier. Sunday Karzai accused non-government organizations (NGOs) of squandering funds channeled through them.

"The Afghan Government, as the ultimate body accountable to the Afghan people, must also be better informed about, and play its due role in, steering the development process," Karzai told an audience including representatives from some 40 donor countries. "The Government must become the anchor for a more integrated, transparent and accountable development effort," said Karzai, who had led an interim government for three years before winning a presidential election in October.

This forum, due to end Wednesday, is very much focused on strategy rather than raising money. Pledges of $8.3 billion covering two to three years were made at last year's forum in Berlin, so there is no need to top up funds until next year. In addition, the United States hopes to double this year's assistance to Afghanistan to over $5 billion once Congress approves a supplemental budget plan. Washington also spends $10 billion on military operations in Afghanistan.

Afghan government passes US$4.75 billion budget heavily dependent on foreign aid

Apr 4 (AP)—The Afghan government on Sunday approved spending of US$4.75 billion over the next year, critical funds for the country's slow recovery provided almost entirely by foreign donors….Three years after the fall of the Taliban, the Afghan economy is booming, fueled by international aid and the country's growing illegal narcotics industry. But government revenue still lags way behind outlay, leaving it chronically dependent on handouts.

The plan for fiscal 2005 foresees a 3.3 percent decline in spending from the previous year, though a final version by June is expected to factor in more aid. Government income, raised mainly from customs, is projected to rise 19 percent to US$333 million, covering only seven percent of spending, the ministry said in a statement.

The budget reflects Afghanistan's ongoing security problems, with US$1.4 billion (€1.1 billion), or 30 percent of the total, allocated for the U.S.-trained army and the police force. …Less than a quarter of the development funds will be funneled through Afghan ministries, with the rest going directly from donor governments to relief groups and companies.

*********

Afghanistan Watch is prepared by Carl Robichaud, a program officer at The Century Foundation.

*********