INTRO:

THE EUROPEAN UNION'S HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER, EMMA BONINO, HAS CRITICIZED THE TALEBAN FOR WHAT SHE CALLED "ABUSIVE AND OPPRESSIVE POLICES." MRS. BONINO MADE HER COMMENTS ONE DAY AFTER BEING ARRESTED BY THE TALEBAN IN THE AFGHAN CAPITAL, KABUL. AS SARAH HORNER REPORTS -- THE TALEBAN REACTED ANGRILY TO THE CRITICISM.

TEXT:

MRS. BONINO SAYS PEACE WILL NOT COME BY ITSELF TO AFGHANISTAN. AT A NEWS CONFERENCE IN THE PAKISTANI CAPITAL, ISLAMABAD, SHE SAID THE ROOTS OF AFGHANISTAN'S PROBLEMS ARE POLITICAL AND THEY NEED A POLITICAL SOLUTION INVOLVING ALL INTERESTED REGIONAL AND WORLD POWERS.

THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER SAID THIS IS THE MAIN MESSAGE SHE WILL BE TAKING BACK TO EUROPEAN UNION MINISTERS.

MRS. BONINO SAID AFGHANISTAN WILL BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION NEXT WEEK. SHE SAID SHE PLANS TO ADDRESS THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ABOUT HER TRIP TO AFGHANISTAN DURING THE MEETING.

MRS. BONINO TOLD JOURNALISTS THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY HUMANITARIAN OFFICE -- OR ECHO -- HAS GIVEN 200-MILLION DOLLARS TO AFGHANISTAN DURING THE PAST TWO YEARS.

// BONINO ACT //

I FEEL THERE IS A REAL NEED TO KEEP INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR THE PEOPLE OF AFGHANISTAN, AT LEAST AT THE CURRENT LEVEL, AND I MAKE THIS COMMITMENT THAT THIS WILL BE THE CASE AS FAR AS ECHO IS CONCERNED -- PROVIDED, OF COURSE THAT THIS AID CAN BE ADMINISTERED FREELY, WITHOUT HARASSMENT, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN CONVENTIONS

// END ACT //

MRS. BONINO WAS SPEAKING ONE DAY AFTER SHE WAS ARRESTED BY TALEBAN AUTHORITIES IN THE AFGHAN CAPITAL, KABUL. THE COMMISSIONER WAS DETAINED FOR MORE THAN THREE HOURS WITH 18 JOURNALISTS AND FOREIGN AID WORKERS IN HER PARTY.

THE TALEBAN'S RELIGIOUS POLICE OBJECTED TO THE FILMING AND PHOTOGRAPHING OF AFGHAN WOMEN AT A HOSPITAL IN KABUL. TALEBAN OFFICIALS SAID THIS WAS AGAINST THEIR STRICT ISLAMIC LAWS.

MRS. BONINO SAID THE INCIDENT WAS CLOSED FOLLOWING THE APOLOGIES OF TALEBAN OFFICIALS

BUT SHE SAID SHE HAD EXPERIENCED FIRST-HAND THE KIND OF HARASSMENT THAT SHE SAID IS PART OF DAILY LIFE FOR PEOPLE IN KABUL.

// BONINO ACT //

THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THE CODE AND CONDUCT AND THE STYLE OF LIFE IMPOSED BY THE TALEBAN IS RESENTED BY ALL THOSE AFGHANS WHO DO NOT SHARE PASHTOON CULTURE AND TRADITIONS AS ABUSIVE AND OPPRESSIVE. GROSS VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMANITARIAN CONVENTIONS ARE TAKING PLACE IN THE COUNTRY AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY SIMPLY CAN NOT LOOK ELSEWHERE WHILE THIS HAPPENS

// END ACT //

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP) REPORTS THE TALEBAN'S PUBLIC HEALTH MINISTER SAID IN

KABUL MRS.

BONINO IS LUCKY TO HAVE ESCAPED CRIMINAL CHARGES.

MULLAH MOHAMMAD ABBASS ACCUSED MRS. BONINO OF TRYING TO "CREATE CORRUPTION AND EVIL" AMONG THE AFGHAN PEOPLE.

MULLAH ABBASS SAID MANY TALEBAN OFFICIALS WANTED TO KEEP THE ENTIRE DELEGATION IN JAIL AND PUT THEM ON TRIAL.

HE SAID TALEBAN CHIEF MULLAH MOHAMMAD OMAR INTERVENED AND INSISTED THE GROUP BE SET FREE.

THE TALEBAN'S INFORMATION AND CULTURE MINISTER -- AMIR KHAN MUTAQI -- TOLD REPORTERS IN KABUL MRS. BONINO WOULD NOT HAVE HAD A PROBLEM IF CAMERA CREWS HAD NOT TAKEN PICTURES.

MR. MUTAQI SAID MRS. BONINO'S REFERENCE TO TALEBAN RULE AS A "REIGN OF TERROR" WAS UNJUSTIFIED.

HE SAID THE COMMISSIONER HAD CAUSED THE PROBLEM HERSELF.

MRS. BONINO TOLD V-O-A SHE WAS THINKING OF CALLING FOR THE NEXT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY TO BE DEDICATED TO AFGHAN WOMEN.

MOST AFGHAN WOMEN HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO WORK OR ATTEND SCHOOL IN KABUL SINCE THE TALEBAN TOOK CONTROL OF THE CAPITAL ONE YEAR AGO.

// BONINO ACT //

I WISH TO ADD HERE A SPECIAL THOUGHT FOR THE WOMEN OF KABUL WHO WERE NOT LONG AGO PART OF AN URBAN AND EDUCATED COMMUNITY WHICH TOOK AN ACTIVE PART IN THE PUBLIC LIFE OF THEIR CITY. I MET SOME OF THEM IN PRIVATE AND IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST MOVING ENCOUNTERS OF MY LIFE. AS A WOMAN AND AS A POLITICIAN, I CAN ONLY SAY THAT SEPTEMBER 27TH WAS AN OMINOUS ANNIVERSARY NOT ONLY FOR THE WOMEN OF KABUL, BUT FOR WOMEN AROUND THE WORLD

// END ACT //

MRS. BONINO ALSO COMMENTED ON THE CURRENT FIERCE FIGHTING IN NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN BETWEEN THE TALEBAN AND THE OPPOSITION ALLIANCE.

SHE SAID HUMANITARIAN OPERATIONS IN AREAS HELD BY THE OPPOSITION ALLIANCE ARE BEING SERIOUSLY AFFECTED BY LOOTING.

MANY AID WORKERS WERE FORCED TO PULL OUT OF MAZAR-I-SHARIF RECENTLY AFTER BEING ROBBED OF MOST OF THEIR POSSESSIONS.