& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Tokyo pledges continued support for Kabul

AFP, Kabul
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi reiterated Tokyo's commitment to help the reconstruction of Afghanistan Wednesday, emphasizing that continued security was essential to the process.
Kawaguchi, on her first foreign trip since her appointment three months ago, held talks with interim Afghan leader Hamid Karzai, Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and Finance Minister Hedayat Amin Arsala.
She told a joint press conference with Abdullah that Japan would provide aid to help the demobilisation of Afghanistan's massive standing army, demining work, education and a controversial programme to eradicate all opium-producing poppies.
These expenses will be covered by a contribution of up to 500 million dollars over two and a half years, which Japan pledged at an international donors' conference on Afghan reconstruction held in Tokyo in January.
"I am convinced more than ever
that Afghanistan's future lies in safe hands," said Kawaguchi, who also visited a newly reopened girls' school.
She said that Tokyo wanted to assist Afghanistan to solve its three most pressing concernsthe peace process, security and its humanitarian needs.
"We need to assist in three fields. If one is missing then reconstruction of Afghanistan will not be completed."
Abdullah thanked Kawaguchi for Japan's support, describing the Afghan donors' conference held in Tokyo in January as the start of the country's reconstruction.
He insisted that the fledgling interim administration was capable of handling the 4.5 billion dollars in aid that has been pledged by the international community, although he conceded that the government had not "established the most perfect administrative system".
"Today's situation should not be used as an excuse. Nobody is using it as an excuse," said Abdullah.
"It is a partnership between the interim authority and international
community but it (the challenge) is how to overcome those hurdlessometimes bureaucratic, sometimes technicalin the way."
Japan has so far disbursed about 50 million dollars of the pledged aid, including five million dollars to the United Nations Children's Fund's campaign to reopen school classes.
Kawaguchi said she wanted to show her support for Afghanistan ahead of next month's Loya Jirga meeting, a traditional Afghan grand assembly which is due to select a transitional government.
"The reason I chose Afghanistan (for her first overseas trip) is that it is an important moment for Afghanistan, a month prior to Loya Jirga, and I wanted to reiterate our assistance to the people of Afghanistan and show the people of Afghanistan the Japanese people's friendship," she said.
Kawaguchi was scheduled to meet Afghanistan's former king Mohammed Zahir Shah Thursday on the second and final day of her visit.