October 19, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 1, 1422

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The visiting British Secretary of State for International Development Ms Clare Short said here on Thursday that the US led coalition has decided to help set up a broad-based government in Afghanistan which could also have the moderate Taliban.

“I have been told here that there are many moderates within Taliban who could be associated with the future broad-based government in Afghanistan”, she further stated.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz she said the international community has agreed with Pakistan that only a broad based dispensation could serve the purpose of establishing peace in Afghanistan.

“Afghans are independent people and would not accept any government which is imposed from outside”, Ms Clare Short said.

She expressed hopes that as soon as the military action was over in Afghanistan, the broad-based government will be established there.

She agreed with a questioner that heavy bombing in Afghanistan was causing humanitarian problems. However, she said that food supplies were being ensured through the UN agencies. She said that UN secretary general’s special envoy on Afghanistan Mr Lakhdar Brahimi was making sure to have all required food supplies reach that country.

Ms Short said it was wrong that the US led coalition was trying to set up the government of Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.

“The future government in Afghanistan will not be dominated by Northern Alliance”, she assured and agreed that some of the people in that Alliance were involved in committing atrocities against the people of Afghanistan.

Ms Short said she did not see much problems to have some broad-based government for a transitional phase after the military strikes were over.

She said three years of drought have also created problems in Afghanistan. “But we hope that UN staff engaged in humanitarian work in that country will not be harassed so that they could do something for the people there”.

The British secretary of international development expressed concern over the growing tension between India and Pakistan. “This is regrettable and we hope that both the countries would engage themselves in dialogue to resolve their differences peacefully”.

She said that America has already committed 320 million dollar for Afghan refugees and that more support by the international community would continue to come.

Replying a question Ms Short said that action against money launderers, who were directly or indirectly involved in terrorist attack in New York and Washington, will have to be taken.