Foreign Minister Cem Receives Dostum

ANKARA, Jan 23 (A.A) - Foreign Minister Ismail Cem received Afghan Deputy Defense Minister Rashid Dostum on Wednesday.
Speaking before the meeting, Cem said Turkey had always close relations with General Dostum, pointing out that, ''it is an honor for us to host our friend Dostum.''
Recalling that Dostum was in contact with Turkey even in the most difficult days, Cem said Dostum played a very important role in Afghanistan to get rid of its difficult situation.
Cem said a new period started in Afghanistan, and that Dostum and other Afghan officials made great sacrifices in starting of this new period.
Cem continued as saying: ''From now on, it is our duty to strengthen Afghan people and identity of Afghans. We are willing to do our best to contribute to the unity and integrity in Afghanistan together with the Afghan government.''
Stressing that Turkey was in close contact with the members of the temporary Afghan government, Cem said within this framework, he could meet Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah in New York where he would attend the World Economic Forum meeting, or he could host Abdullah Abdullah during the EU-OIC joint forum meeting that will take place in Istanbul in February 12-13.
Pointing out that he knew Abdullah for three years, Cem said they would discuss the foreign problems concerning the two countries.
Cem said Turkey believed that Dostum has importance regarded with the future of Afghanistan, adding that relations between Turkey and Dostum would continue within this framework.
Rashid Dostum in his part said they had positive relations and contacts with the interim government, adding that news reports which appeared in media claiming that he was not pleased over the ministry appointments were not right. Dostum said they supported and backed the government.
Pointing out that his units helped Afghanistan to get rid of Taliban, Dostum said they had many martyrs during this fight. Dostum said they have captured 4,000 Taliban soldiers so far.
''I would like to announce to the world that Turkey and Turkish people always expended support to us in our difficult days. Now that the situation gradually normalizes in Afghanistan. All the world want to help re-structuring of the country. As the Deputy Defense Minister of the interim goverment, I say we want to benefit from the experiences of the Turkish contruction sector,'' he noted.
Dostum said Turkish soldiers in the past had played an important role in establishment of a disciplined army, noting that they needed this support again today. Dostum also said they needed police training.
When recalled the news reports that his forces and the forces of Rabbani clashed, Dostum said the incident stemmed from a trivial problem between the two commanders.
FM CEM SAYS TRANSPORTATION OF CASPIAN BASIN SOURCES VIA AFGHANISTAN ROUTE SEEMS TO BE VERY OPTIMISTIC APPROACH
Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said on Wednesday that the transportation of Caspian basin energy sources to the world via Afghanistan seems to be a very optimistic approach.
Responding to the question motion submitted by AK Party deputy Huseyin Kansu who asked how the developments in Afghanistan would affect the energy transportation lines, Cem said in a written statement that many researches consider as too optimistic the idea of transporting the Caspian energy sources through pipelines in Afghanistan.
''No serious work has been undertaken to date about such a project. It has only been thought. It should not be forgotten that the ideas of energy pipelines can not be put into practice very easily. Caspian Oil Consortium and Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan projects can be shown as examples to that,'' he said.
Noting that the stability atmosphere to be formed in Afghanistan would positively affect the whole region, Cem said that new regional cooperation opportunities will come out and the issue of energy can be among them.
Cem said that the project to be developed in Afghanistan won't be a rival pipeline, but a complementary one to Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and South Caucasian natural gas pipelines.
Markets where the oil planned to be produced in Caspian Basin will be sold, have been determined and transporting the oil via Afghan route depends on the additional production to be undertaken in Caspian basin, he added.
TARKAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTORS' ASSOCIATION SAYS HE DOES NOT THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR TURKISH CONTRACTING SECTOR IN AFGHANISTAN IN THE SHORT TERM
Ruhi Tarkan, the deputy secretary general of the International Contractors' Association, said on Wednesday that he did not think that there would be any business opportunities for Turkish contracting sector in Afghanistan in the short term.
Tarkan told A.A correspondent that Turkish businessmen could work in mainly transportation and commercial fields.
Ruhi Tarkan was among the participants of the international conference held in Tokyo to support restructuring of Afghanistan.
The representatives of the countries and organizations that attended the conference expressed their views about restructuring Afghanistan while experts attended the conference when disarmament, soldier and police training, clearing the landmines, fight against drugs, and alternative development were debated.
Tarkan, who attended these meetings, said that the technical meetings were intensified on mainly women and children education, health, clearing landmines, and prevention of production and illecit trafficking of drug.
The international aid was expected to be extended priorily on the above mentioned fields, Tarkan noted.
Tarkan stated that it was considered as difficult to implement the contracting services for the development of the country in the short term and said, ''this will take at least one and a half years.''
The country could make use of contracting services at a certain extent in clearing the landmines, Tarkan said.
Tarkan pointed out that the companies working in this field could undertake business in Afghanistan if they provided necessary equipment.
Meanwhile, the final declaration which was announced following the international conference on reconstruction of Afghanistan, noted that the countries decided to give 1,8 billion dollars to Afghanistan in 2002.
Certain countries had certain commitments covering more than one year; therefore, the total amount of aid to be sent to Afghanistan exceeded 4,5 billion dollars.
The declaration noted that the investment promised to be given to Afghanistan won't be unconditional.
The following are some main points from the final declaration adopted at the end of the conference:
- Participants expressed their readiness to help the Afghan people in their reconstruction efforts. To make concrete this commitment, pledges of over 1.8 billion dollars for 2002 were announced. The cumulative amount was more than 4.5 billion dollars.
- Participants agreed on the urgency of rapid disbursement and importance of addressing immediate financial needs for the functioning of the interim administration over the next few months.
- Assistance will be conditional on all Afghan parties positively contributing to the process and goals agreed in Bonn with the aim of establishing peace, representative governments and stability in Afghanistan and eliminating terrorism and narcotics production and trafficking.
- It was noted, that as the efforts for reconstruction proceed, due geographical balance within Afghanistan should be taken into account in resource allocation.
- The conference provided the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) an opportunity to reaffirm its determination to pursue the process of reconciliation, reconstruction and development and provided the international donor community an opportunity to express its political support for this process with indications of concrete assistance.
- The AIA recognised that it holds primary responsibility for reconstruction. The international community concurred and expressed its determination to provide support and closely coordinate with the AIA and the people of Afghanistan as they conduct reconstruction efforts.
- Sustainable economic development and the effective use of donor funding urgently require that sound currency arrangements, as well as strong and transparent budgetary and treasury systems, are put in place.
- Donors pledged to provide the necessary technical and financial assistance to help the AIA to create the essential institutional framework. Strong emphasis was put on the importance of rapidly establishing a sound and comprehensive and monetary framework.
- The AIA identified the following key priority areas for the reconstruction of their country:
1. Enhancement of administrative capacity, with emphasis on the payment of salaries and the establishment of the government administration.
2. Education, especially for girls
3. Health and sanitation
4. Infrastructure, in particular roads, electricity and telecommunications
5. Reconstruction of the economic system, in particular the currency system
6. Agricultural and rural development, including food security, water management and revitalising the irrigation system
- The conference emphasized the centrality of restoring the rights and addressing the needs of women, who have been the prime victims of conflict and oppression. Women's rights and gender issues should be fully reflected in the reconstruction process.
- Decisions on the allocation of expenditures will be the responsibility of the World Bank, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), Asian Development Bank and the Islamic Development Bank in consultation with the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations.
- The AIA stressed its commitment to transparency, efficiency and accountability.
- The preliminary needs assessment prepared by the World Bank, the UNDP and the Asian Development bank was welcomed. Further work on a more comprehensive needs assessment is planned to take place in Afghanistan in full partnership with the interim administration in the coming weeks.