February 23, 2007	Friday	Safar 5, 1428

KABUL, Feb 22: Afghan warlords on Thursday announced plans for a demonstration here in support of a bill that would give amnesty for crimes committed during the country's years of conflict.

The planned demonstration on Friday at the Kabul sports stadium comes after the upper house of parliament approved the legislation on Tuesday.

The lower house passed the bill in January, but President Hamid Karzai, whose agreement is needed for the bill to become law, has yet to sign it.

“In the gathering, the people will show their support for the jihadi leaders and for the amnesty bill,” said Waqif Hakimi, spokesman for Jamyat Islami, one of the factions involved in the country’s 1992-6 civil war. “It will be huge. I think 50,000 people will attend.”

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary confirmed that a ‘big’ demonstration was planned, and said the authorities had asked for a peaceful gathering.

AUSTRALIAN TROOPS: Australia was considering sending more troops to Afghanistan to counter resurgent Taliban and Al Qaeda men, Australian Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said in Sydney. Mr Nelson refused to confirm or deny media reports that the government would nearly double Australia’s commitment to around 1,000 soldiers.

“We are very concerned about the activities of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan,” he told Australian radio.

“What I have decided to do is to send a small scoping group over to Afghanistan to have a very close look at it.”

He said he had discussed the issue with the Dutch, British and United States governments and that, while no final decision had been made, Australians should not be surprised if the government deployed more troops.—AFP