Paris, September 03: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner says foreign militaries will not leave Afghanistan until it is secure enough for agriculture, health and education projects to start.
“We want to bring our decisive support to the Afghan population, with projects linked to agriculture, health, and education,” said Kouchner after a Wednesday meeting with international envoys in Paris.
“Of course for that we need to bring security,” he told a news conference.
Kouchner ruled out the departure of troops “unless the region is secure enough to benefit from these projects, and from the large amounts of money donated by the international community.”
Envoys from over 25 countries and organizations convened in Paris amid allegations of massive fraud in Afghanistan’s key presidential election and the threat of a setback in peace efforts.
The country’s election commission is probing more than 2,500 complaints of irregularities from the August 20 vote and initial results are not expected to be announced before Monday.
With ballots from nearly half the polling stations announced, President Hamid Karzai was ahead of his man rival Abdullah Abdullah, yet falling short of the majority needed to avoid a run-off.
On Tuesday, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan presented a gloomy assessment of the almost eight-year war in the country and called for a shift in strategy.
The report came as 2009 has already seen a record-high number of foreign soldiers killed in Afghanistan, furthering questions over the efficacy of the US-led war and the fate of billions of dollars in international aid poured into the country.
—–Agencies