TOKYO - Big donor countries have pledged more than $US1.5 billion ($3.6 billion) to rebuild Afghanistan and eradicate the harsh conditions that bred the al Qaeda network.
Kabul's leader, Hamid Karzai, promised to create a credible Government to begin the task, but said he needed the money quickly to shore up his fledgling Administration.
The European Union, Japan, Saudi Arabia the United States and other countries and organisations unveiled their pledges before delegates from more than 60 countries and international groups gathered to start a lengthy reconstruction process that aid experts estimate will require some $US15 billion over 10 years.
Among the contributions: India pledged $US100 million and a million tonnes of wheat and Canada pledged $C100 million on top of $C16.5 million already promised.
China will give $US1 million in emergency aid.
"The people of Afghanistan are also victims of the Taleban and al Qaeda," said Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, announcing Tokyo's pledge of $US500 million for 2 1/2 years.
"In order to eradicate terrorism, we must eliminate conditions that allow terrorism to take root." Afghanistan was one of the world's poorest countries even before the US-led bombing campaign reduced even more buildings to rubble.
Karzai sought the world's commitment to help his people revive a country that he said had become a wasteland after nearly a quarter century of war and strife.
He said that if aid did not arrive quickly, his interim Administration would lose credibility at home.
"While we understand the procedural requirements for the delivery of international aid, we have seen little signs from the international community in response to our urgent needs."
Life expectancy in Afghanistan is 44 years, one in four children dies before age five, and only three in 100 girls are enrolled in primary school. Clean water is a luxury.
The overriding political priority of the Tokyo conference is to allay anxieties in Afghanistan that the world will turn its back now that military action has toppled the Taleban regime, punished for protecting Osama bin Laden.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the conference the US would provide $US296 million in aid this fiscal year, with more to come.
"President Bush has made it clear that the US will not abandon Afghanistan," Powell said.
The European Commission, for its part, pledged €200 million ($417 million) this year and said it aimed to provide a total of €1 billion over the next five years.
The pledge is in addition to separate commitments of €300 million by the 15 members of the EU.
Saudi Arabia, a former ally of the Taleban, promised $US220 million over three years.
World Bank president James Wolfensohn said he would propose $US500 million in concessional aid for Afghanistan over the next 30 months, with immediate action to provide an extra $US50 million to $US70 million in grants.
- REUTERS
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