“I will not give a single rock of this land to the Kremlin
or a handful of soil of this garden to Washington
I will not give a thorn of the roses of this land to Germany.
I swear to Almighty Allah that I may die, but I will
Not give away this land to London.”
Graffiti from a building in Kabul, Afghanistan 2003
If this piece of graffiti is any indication of the pride Afghans have in their country and their feeling that they should be able to organize their country for themselves, the work of Canadian troops and aid agencies to establish a peaceful transition to peace and stability will be a rocky road.
The Bonn Process called for an interim council to begin a process for new government with national elections in 2004 with a more democratic form of government.
It calls for a building up of capacity in the Afghan government and the removal of interference by other regional nations. It calls for the elimination of poppy growing and a transfer to other crops.
Prior to the civil wars, Afghanistan was self-sufficient and actually an exporter of crops.
Outside of Kabul and the area controlled Kandahar by Americans in the south, the balance of the country is controlled by war lords supported by various ethnic tribal groups.
With their own armies and methods of raising funds to operate, a key task of the transitional government will be to persuade those warlords to transfer power to a central government when it takes power. The Loya Jirga of Afghanistan did appoint a transitional government in 2002.
A government official noted that Canada’s role will be to help facilitate the transition.
And in helping to create this transition they look to encourage the Afghan people to accept religious tolerances, protection to minorities and protection of women. But Canada is not going into the country with blinkers on.
Officials understand that it will take generations to fully establish a democratic government with the tolerances that Canadians take for granted. And they understand the Afghans will have to make their own decisions on the type of government they want.
Canada’s 1,800 troops that are committed for the next 12 months will work in Kabul to maintain the peace and discourage the resurgence of extremist groups. At the same time Canada is establishing an embassy with staff that will be operational by the end of July.
In a country that has been in civil war for over 30 years, the biggest challenge will be to establish a new normalcy. While Canada has troops on the ground, training a new Afghan military force and establishing a police force, Canada, through CIDA, is also contributing $250 million in the next two years towards the Afghan government.
Our goal will also be to encourage religious tolerances, protection of minorities and protection of women and children.
Canada also understands that they will have to commit funding for as long as 10 years at a diminishing rate as will other nations to bring about a successful transformation of the political and economic climate of the country.
Susan Whelan Canada’s Minister for International Cooperation in making Canada’s commitment has indicated that the money will be used to provide operating support for the interim Afghan government to pay for services such as health, policing, education. It will also be used for rural development, national resource and agriculture management and providing security to support the political evolution process.
Canada’s troops will be in place to help ensure a safe environment during the transition process, will help in reconstructing Afghan police and military forces, and will help other humanitarian agencies work in Kabul.
The efforts in Afghanistan and in Iraq are tests for the United Nations. The nations of the world will be judged on how effectively they bring about change in the countries that improve the quality of life of all citizens, their opportunities and how democratic the governments become.
— Jim Cumming,
Publisher
