June 4, 2003	Wednesday	Rabi-us-Sani 3, 1424

KABUL, June 3: The Afghan central government has taken over a vital and lucrative northern border post controlled by Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani said on Tuesday.

Kabul has taken over Hairatan frontier post, north of the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which controls the lucrative trade route with Uzbekistan and Central Asia, Ghani told reporters at a press conference.

“The port of Hairatan in Mazar-i-Sharif has been brought within central management,” Ghani said.

“Payment of revenue from that port to various groups has ceased,” he said.

“The accounts of all the relevant groups are being examined in Mazar.”

Separately, Herat provincial governor and warlord Ismail Khan had handed over $20 million to Kabul, Ghani said.

President Hamid Karzai has been trying to rein in powerful provincial governors and extend the authority of the central government.

In an agreement ratified last month by Karzai and his senior ministers, 10 provincial governors and two powerful northern warlords — Deputy Defence Minister Dostum and army 7th corps commander General Atta Mohammad — agreed to hand over their lucrative customs taxes.

The European Union on Tuesday welcomed the agreement.

“The European Union welcomes the decision taken on May 20 by the National Security Council of the Afghan Transitional Administration to request all governors to remit all customs receipts to central government and to ensure that all their activities are in conformity with the law and the policies of the central government,” the EU’s Greek presidency said in a statement.

“The Union congratulates President Karzai for this initiative and appreciates the sense of responsibility displayed by Afghan political leaders who supported it.”—AFP