Microsoft Word - What's Kabul Issue#100 Whats On In Kabul 2008
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ISSUE 100/2008



12 April 2008
NEWS SECTION

AFGHANISTAN APPLIES FOR CIS MEMBERSHIP
Meeting of the CIS Parliamentary Assembly began in St.Petersburg on April 3-4. Its General Secretary Mikhail
Krotov said on the eve of the meeting that Afghanistan was aspiring for membership in the Commonwealth.
"Afghani delegations attended three previous meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly and this meeting is not an
exception," Krotov said. "Their participation in meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly is of paramount
importance for Russia and other CIS countries." Experts say meanwhile that the idea of absorbing Afghanistan
into the Commonwealth is not as populist as it may appear at first sight. Its practical realization, however,
requires certain efforts. Provided CIS leaders and first and foremost leaders of Russia understand the purpose of
this integration correctly, the process may become quite rewarding for all involved parties. "Where Afghanistan is
concerned, it needs CIS membership for development of its transport network, revival of economy, and attraction
of investments from other CIS states," Dmitry Verkhoturov of AFG.Ru said. Experts point out that absorption of
Afghanistan by the Commonwealth will greatly benefit the latter.

It will enable the Commonwealth to do away with existence of a thoroughly unstable and problematic buffer zone
Afghanistan is. "Buffer zone is an area where interests of world powers collide, it is an area where big-time
political games are played. It will disappear with absorption of Afghanistan by the Commonwealth. In fact, the
Commonwealth with Afghanistan in it will have a direct border between itself and Pakistan, India, and China. With
the buffer zone a thing of the past, everyone will have to seek agreements with all others, and that will pacify the
region," to quote Alexander Sobyanin, Chief of the Strategic Planning Service of the Association of
Transboundary Cooperation. Experts warn that it is wrong to view expansion of the Commonwealth into
Afghanistan as an end in itself. This country should be integrated into the CIS structure, or the Commonwealth
will certainly fail and may even find its very existence in jeopardy. "First and foremost, we need a foothold
(military included) in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan because we cannot hope to be able to maintain a grip on
Afghanistan without it.

We should also recognize the fact that what we will never see the money we will be investing into this country. It
is necessary to invest in the Afghani elite, in the national education and health care spheres. In short, it is
necessary to set up a modernized zone in Afghanistan so as to leave its maintenance to the Afghanis
themselves," Sobyanin said. He is convinced that successful integration of Afghanistan into the Commonwealth is
impossible without China's support. Membership in the Commonwealth offers new opportunities to Afghanistan
itself. First, it will better the chances of integration into regional organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation
Organization and Eurasian Economic Cooperation Organization. Second, an armed conflict in Central Asia will
make it necessary for the regional countries to launch a process of energetic integration even up to establishment
of a common state for the purpose of dealing with the common threat. Experts say that there is only one country
under whose aegis this integration may take place, and this country is Russia.


RUSSIAS BORDERS NOW OPEN FOR AFGHANISTAN-BOUND SUPPLIES
The movement of supplies such as food and spare parts will now be permitted to travel through Russia on its way
to military posts in Afghanistan, according to an agreement reached on the final day of the NATO summit in
Romania. The Bucharest summit, the largest in NATO history, concluded Friday with a meeting of members of
the NATO-Russian Council. The transit accord will be signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavro. "That
means now non-lethal military goods can be transported through Russian territory," NATO Secretary-General
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Friday. One day earlier, Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed hope that
such an agreement would be reached. "It is important, and if there is an agreement already on the transport of
NATO supplies to Afghanistan through the Russian territory we are thankful for that for Russia," Karzai said.

Fridays meeting, attended by President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin, failed to make much
headway on other areas of disagreement, such as NATO enlargement and an independent Kosovo. "[I] cant
report a stunning breakthrough in this regard," de Hoop Scheffer said. However, the tone during the NATO
meeting, the last for Bush and Putin, was positive, he said. Bush and Putin will continue their talks this weekend
in Sochi, the Russian Black Sea resort where issues such as missile defense are expected to be up for
discussion. Next years NATO summit will be hosted together by Germany & France in the cities of Kehl &
Strasbourg.
Whats On In Kabul 2008
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BRITISH COUNCIL TO SEND PUPILS ON AFGHANISTAN EXCHANGE
British children are to make exchange visits to war-ravaged Afghanistan and Iraq under a classroom twinning
scheme. The plan is the latest step in a dramatic change in outlook for the British Council as it prepares to mark
its 75th anniversary next year. Promoting ties with Muslim countries has emerged as a top priority and is closely
linked to the Government's efforts to fight terrorism. Swapping the Playstations and duvets of modern Britain for
the dirt floors and brick beds of Afghanistan will depend on security assessments. Only older children are likely to
be involved in the exchanges. However, local authorities across Britain will be asked next year to volunteer their
primary and secondary schools to "twin" with Afghan equivalents. "We will apply a risk assessment to travel and
be pragmatic," said James Rowe, a council spokesman. "We have recently had visits to Yemen go ahead and
that country has a reputation for violence." The threat to Westerners in Aghanistan has increased sharply in
recent weeks following a suicide bombing at the Serena Hotel, a favourite of foreigners staying in Kabul.

But the prize of promoting ties in a country where, as recently as 2001, the Taliban banned all forms of modernity,
including education for girls, is deemed too great to miss. The Connecting Classrooms scheme is a global
programme with long established links to Africa and China. Now expansion across Muslim countries has
emerged as the most important development for the British Council since the end of the Cold War. The extension
of the programme to Afghanistan marks its boldest move since it was expanded to Iraq in 2004, where there are
links to 24 schools. While exchange visits have so far been confined to meetings in Jordan, there are hopes that
British children could soon visit northern Iraq. The scheme's planned expansion in central Asia from April next
year will be rapid. By 2012 it aims to cover 220 schools, involving 220,000 pupils in both primary and secondary
grades, in Britain, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. "The mission of the British Council is to improve the
understanding of the UK in the rest of world," said Lord Kinnock of Bedwellty, the council's chairman, last week.

Efforts to promote reform among Islamic societies range widely from sponsoring Electric Steps, Libya's only hip-
hop band, to setting up an English school in al-Azhar University, in Cairo, the world's largest institution for the
training of mullahs. "The debate inside Islam would be helped by having proficient Islamic scholars able to
communicate in English," said Dominic Asquith, the UK ambassador to Egypt. Accusations from Russia that the
British Council was a front for spying resulted in the closure of two of its offices in December. Prior to that, its
employees, including Lord Kinnock's son, Stephen, the director of the St Petersburg outpost, also suffered
harassment. However, the row came at a time when the organisation is winding down its presence in the country.


BUSH MEETS WITH AFGHAN GOVERNORS
President Bush met with Afghan governors to discuss security and economic progress in Afghanistan. VOA White
House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush wants more NATO troops backing the government of
Hamid Karzai. President Bush met with eight Afghan governors who have been touring the United States. He
says they spoke about unemployment and improving security for the young democracy in Kabul. "One of the
things that really matters in democracy is that local governance is strong and good and honest, that the people
are being able to see the benefits of democracy," Mr. Bush said. "It's hard work in AFG, but I told these leaders I
think it is necessary work."

All members of the NATO alliance have troops in Afghanistan. But some have limited their deployments to safer
areas where combat with Taleban militia is less likely. At the