'World should help Kabul'

Published May 26, 2004

LONDON, May 25: The international community remains committed to helping Afghanistan, British Prime Minister Tony Blair insisted on Tuesday after a lawmaker from his own party described the impoverished country as a "basket case".

Speaking at his regular monthly press conference, Blair rejected this description. "It is absolutely wrong and unfortunate if people end up thinking Afghanistan has made no progress in the past two to three years," he told reporters.

There were now 5.5 million children in school while Afghanistan's economy had grown by 30 per cent this year, Blair said. -AFP

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