Agence Europe, Friday, 24 July 1998

EU/AFGHANISTAN: FOLLOWING THE CLOSURE OF THE ECHO OFFICE IN KABUL, EUROPEAN COMMISSION SETS OUT ITS POSITION

Brussels, 23/07/1998 (Agence Europe) - Earlier in the week, the Taliban militia closed the offices of the European Communities' Humanitarian Office (Echo) in Kabul, Afghanistan. The staff of the office had already been evacuated on Saturday for reasons of safety, after the Talibans had accused Commissioner Emma Bonino of spreading Christianity through Echo (see EUROPE of 21 July, p.11).

Several non-governmental organizations also left Kabul at the beginning of the week following the arrest of their Afghan members. The European Commission had already decided on Monday to suspend European humanitarian aid due to the discrimination exercised by the Talibans regarding Afghan women, as well as pressure they were applying on NGOs. "It is two months now that the European Commission has been repeating that the minimum conditions from a human rights point of view were not being respected to be able to continue to work in Kabul", said a European source. "We shall not leave Afghanistan for that as we have other projects in the province", she added.

For their part, the United Nations has decided to remain in Kabul until 31 August to monitor the situation and try to cushion the departure of the NGOs, as well as the suspension of European humanitarian assistance. However, the United Nations has decided to cut back on its staff on the ground.

Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Emma Bonino expressed disappointment about the attitude of the international community towards Afghanistan, and said this country was not the victim of an internal war but a "regional war for the conquest of strategic positions in relation to the oil resources in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan" and of routes for transporting oil towards the European market.