October 10, 2001	Wednesday	Rajab 22, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 9: The European Union has pledged 316 million euro to provide humanitarian aid for Afghan people, according to local EU office statement.

Out of this euro package, 101 million will be provided by the European Commission.

The commission is now asking the European Parliament and the Council to accelerate budgetary decisions on new provision of 25 million euro in humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan. “There may be further requests in the coming weeks if the flux of refugees increases”, the statement added.

It also quoted Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission, as having said that alongside targeted military action to eradicate terrorism, it was essential to boost humanitarian aid to long- suffering people of Afghanistan.

Similarly, according to the EU statement, the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson, was quoted as having said that the Afghan people had endured years of neglect, civil war and drought.

With winter approaching and a large number of people on the move, providing food, shelter and medicine must be the number one humanitarian aid priority for the international community in Afghanistan, he said.