Abdullah Abdullah, a former leader of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance who now serves as the country's Foreign Minister, is trying to project calm in the midst of his country's tumult. In an exclusive interview with EurasiaNet, Abdullah dismissed reports of widening internal divisions in Afghanistan, asserting that members of President Hamid Karzai's interim administration are unified on stabilization policies.
The foreign minister admitted that the government leaders engaged in heated policy debates but insisted that there was agreement in the government on overall strategy. "Well, if you mean people sometimes holding opinions different from others', that is something quite healthy and normal and goes on in any democratically-run government in the world," he said. "But if you mean to ask if there are systematic and sharp differences, the answer is no. This government is committed to fulfilling its duties to the Afghan people." He denied knowing about any disagreement between Karzai and Defense Minister Mohammed Qasim Fahim and vowed: " All of us have in this government a close and serious relationship because of the importance of keeping the peace and rebuilding the country. This is a historic moment in our country and no one in this government would want to risk it."
Undeniably, many armed factions in Afghanistan refuse to support Karzai's government. On September 5, an assassin tried to kill Karzai and Kandahar governor Gul Agha Shirzai and a car bomb in the capital killed 30 people. But Abdullah assured EurasiaNet that his country is progressing toward peace. "Terrorist activity could happen anywhere in the world without a warning," he said. "Look at that monstrous terrorist act in the most secure and stable country in the world. Although we may not see an attack with the scale of what happened in New York and Washington, it is clear that small and sudden attacks could be undertaken by these groups for sometime to come." Like Karzai, who acted unruffled after the attempt on his life, Abdullah paints the recent violence as "isolated and desperate acts, which if enough vigilance is used, may be prevented from harming their potential victims."
The question of vigilance leads to the question of how Afghanistan and its allies will structure peacekeeping efforts. Karzai, United Nations Afghan representative Lakhdar Brahimi and independent experts have urged foreign allies for months to expand the International Security Assistance Force beyond Kabul into the country's unpredictable provinces. Though a September 18 report in the New York Times suggested that the United States remains hesitant to commit to such an expansion, Abdullah assures that ISAF will grow. "It takes a while to organize a national police force," Abdullah said. "That is why , at least in the short-term, we are going to rely on the assistance of the international community." Karzai and Abdullah spent time in New York in September. Abdullah reports discussing the idea of expanding ISAF with American officials and noticing "a change of opinion on this issue among our friends."
He acknowledged, though, that expanding ISAF "is not a done deal." He also commented that the country's Interior Ministry, which would manage a national police force, needs to build a viable structure. Northern Alliance veteran Yunus Qanooni gave up the Interior Ministry in a power-sharing deal at the country's Loya Jirga council in June. Now, says Abdullah, recent security breaches are "not the Interior Ministry's fault. If the management is changed but still the system works as before, they can't create miracles."
As a diplomat, Abdullah has had to defend the United States after American bombs mistakenly killed celebrants at a wedding party. "We have excellent relations [with] the United States because the partnership benefits both sides," he insisted. "Our people appreciate the help that America gave in freeing our country, not to mention the efforts since then to rebuild and stabilize the country. I think any unbiased person can see this. As far as the bombing raids, they were very sad and unfortunate. But even the members of the families of the deceased were quite understanding that these things do happen in any military conflict."
Abdullah is so optimistic that he volunteered his government as a go-between in Iran's damaged relationship with the United States. "We would be quite happy if we could play a positive role in this situation but it all depends on the two principal parties," he said. Looking elsewhere in the Middle East, Abdullah says Iraq would be "responsible for any eventuality" if it spurned orders from the United Nations. But, notes the former commander, "no efforts should be spared to prevent the possibility of loss of lives."
Abdullah knows war, having fought the Taliban for years. He now promises to investigate claims that Deputy Defense Minister Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek who essentially runs the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, tolerated a mass killing in that city of Taliban prisoners. He also promises that Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives, whom Karzai blamed for the attempt on his life, could not destabilize Afghanistan again. "Those two terrorist incidents you mentioned were symbolic acts which were meant to show that the terrorists were still alive," he said. "But everyone in Afghanistan from the youngest to the oldest people know that the time for killings and war is over, that the terrorists have no future in this country."
Indeed, Abdullah seems focused on his boss' and his own political future. "If [Karzai] loses his popularity in the future it would be because of lots of promises to the people that he couldn't keep. Mr. Karzai does not believe in making false promises for political gains. He is always clear about what can and cannot be delivered. Now we need many things in Afghanistan, but we can't change things overnight. I think all Afghans are aware of this and they are quite sympathetic to the government's aims and limitations." He noted the challenges of protecting 600,000 displaced Afghans who have moved to Kabul and thousands of refugees who have returned from other countries. But, he says, "by and large the work on a national police is going well."
Abdullah now must press foreign governments to make good on their aid pledges. "Building roads is one of the most important issues for us," he said. "The United States and Saudi Arabia promised about $80 million and about $50 million dollars for road reconstruction. Although the actual building will not be completed for some time, the progress in raising the funds has gone quite well."
Camelia Entekhabi-Fard is a journalist who specializes in Afghan and Iranian affairs. She is currently in Afghanistan reporting for EurasiaNet.
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