Afghanistan (Hansard, 3 April 2001)

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, Afghanistan is currently suffering from its worst drought in 30 years. This financial year the Department for International Development has provided over£10.5 million of humanitarian assistance to Afghans through UN agencies, the Red Cross and NGOs. As well as drought relief assistance, that includes a longer-term programme of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan population, both in Afghanistan itself and to Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran.

§ The Earl of Sandwich
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for her reply. She will be aware that the British NGOs working inside Afghanistan have been severely hampered over the past two years by her department's funding policy on reasonable grounds of security risk. Will she now confirm that that policy has been abandoned and that DfID will be supporting those NGOs which work in situations of grave risk but on their own behalf? Can she say whether the UN sanctions will pose even more problems for the humanitarian work of those organisations?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, the department's policy on Afghanistan has been reviewed relatively recently. Perhaps it would be helpful to the House if I explained that under the previous policy we would not fund NGOs that sent expatriates into Afghanistan against the advice of their own government. As the House may recall, the background to that was the attacks on UN personnel in Afghanistan in 1998. However, we continue to provide humanitarian assistance through UN agencies, the Red Cross and local and international NGOs. The threat still remains, but there have been no serious security incidents for some time. We are now willing to consider funding for agencies that send UK nationals into Afghanistan so long as they are able to assure us about the security mechanisms that they put in place. With respect to sanctions, I do not accept the argument that sanctions 723 have caused the crisis in Afghanistan. The current problem has been the result of drought, conflict and unusually cold weather.

§ Baroness Rawlings
My Lords, I thank the Minister very much for what she has just said about reviewing the policy. We have been pressing for that for some time. I should declare an interest as patron of the Rokha health clinic in the Panjshir Valley. Does the Minister agree with the UN in recognising President Rabbani and the Northern Alliance Government as the true governing body in Afghanistan and not Taliban representatives in Kabul? Does she agree, too, with the military leader in the north, Ahmed Shah Maoud, who states correctly, that the Afghan people, with considerable self sacrifice, played an important role in the defeat of Communism", and that the religious, fanatical Islamic posture of Taliban is as great a threat to the world as communism was? What are Her Majesty's Government doing to encourage Pakistan to withdraw ISI and regular army support from the Kabul regime?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, I am aware of the concerns expressed previously by the noble Baroness, Lady Rawlings, with respect to our policy on funding NGOs. I am pleased that she welcomes the new initiative. The noble Baroness will be aware that we do not consider there to be an effective national government in Afghanistan with whom we can conduct government-to-government business. The noble Baroness asked about Pakistan. She will be aware that we are constantly engaged in discussions with the countries surrounding Afghanistan, including Pakistan, in order to try to achieve a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Afghanistan.

§ Lord Redesdale
My Lords, the recent actions of the Taliban in destroying the poppy crop in Afghanistan will have a major impact on the prevalence of heroin on the world market and over the next year will lead to a decrease in the amount of heroin available. Does DfID have a role in helping those farmers who have had their crops destroyed to diversify into other areas?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, Afghanistan is the source of 95 per cent of the heroin that reaches the UK and western Europe. Last year the Taliban issued a decree denouncing poppy cultivation and ordered that all poppy crops be destroyed. There are mixed reports on the effectiveness of that decree. There is undoubtedly less cultivation, but we do not know whether that is as a result of the drought or the decree. We are already providing humanitarian assistance that benefits farmers who have lost their livelihoods.

§ Baroness Whitaker
My Lords, can my noble friend say what action the Government have taken following the closure of the BBC office in Kabul, which is very much to be regretted?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, the Government have raised the closure of the BBC office with the Taliban 724 mission in Islamabad. In doing so, we have underlined our commitment to press freedom and to the BBC's record for impartiality and independence.

§ Lord Weatherill
My Lords, can the noble Baroness say which organisations carrying out de-mining operations in Afghanistan currently receive assistance from the United Kingdom Government? Are they affected by current funding policies?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs carries out mine action activities in Afghanistan. Recently we undertook a review of those mine action activities and we are currently considering the options as regards further support for that programme.