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November 28, 2002
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Thursday
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Ramazan 22, 1423
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UK wants Afghanistan to sign regional pact
By Arshad Sharif
LONDONDERRY, Nov 27: The United Kingdom is supporting Afghanistan to foster an agreement with the neighbouring countries on regional non-intervention after concerns were raised in the UK parliamentary committee hearings over the election of religious parties in the NWFP and Balochistan.
According to the memorandum recently submitted by Secretary of State for International Development to the select committee on International Development, the UK Special Representative for Afghanistan, Tom Phillips, said that President Karzai was hoping to reach agreement soon on a declaration of regional non- intervention.
The document made public on Monday said that the UK special representative to Afghanistan told the committee that agreement on regional non-intervention would be seen by the UK as a very helpful step forward and hoped there would be movement on that front in the region.
Mr Phillips said: “Our general message to everyone in the region is that we expect them to play their part in the reconstruction and rebuilding of Afghanistan. We certainly do not think Afghanistan should be in any way a focus for regional rivalries. That is a message we are carrying to everyone in the region.”
Earlier, a committee member, British MP Piara S Khabra, said: “In view of the elections which have taken place in Pakistan, it has emerged that the Taliban supporters have gained quite a lot of political ground, and they are in a position of power now and they have openly declared that they will be supporting the Taliban, whatever element remains within Afghanistan or actually crosses over the border into the North West part of Pakistan. It is definitely going to have a disastrous impact on the political situation as well as the security situation in Afghanistan.”
Responding to questions of the select committee, Mr Phillips said: “There is a very sharp perception of the relationship between what happens in Pakistan and what happens in Afghanistan.”
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