Afghanistan (Hansard, 16 April 2002)

§ 22. Mr. Hendrick
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the contribution of the UK to ensuring political stability in Afghanistan. [45537]

§ Mr. Bradshaw
Political stability is crucial to long term stability in Afghanistan. The Government fully support the UN-led political process, as set out in the Bonn Agreement. Its aim is to establish a broadly based, representative and democratic government in Afghanistan. The convening of the Emergency Loya Jirga in June is the next step towards this. The UK has given £500,000 to support the Loya Jirga Commission, who are responsible for arranging the Emergency Loya Jirga.
We pledged £200 million of reconstruction assistance in January at the Tokyo Donors Conference on Reconstruction. The UK is currently Lead Nation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which is playing an important role supporting the Interim Administration to maintain security in and around Kabul.

§ 25. Tom Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the war in Afghanistan. [45540]
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§ Mr. Bradshaw
The campaign in Afghanistan is focused on ridding the country of the remnants of al-Qaeda and the Taliban, which still pose a significant threat. At the request of the United States we have deployed 45 Commando to assist with this operation. We are committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can no longer offer a haven to terrorists and will remain engaged until we have finished the task.

§ 31. Mr. Jim Cunningham
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress is being made in the international fight against the drug trade in Afghanistan. [45546]

§ Mr. MacShane
The UK has taken the lead in coordinating international efforts to implement sustainable drug control in Afghanistan through the creation of alternative legal livelihoods, the reconstruction of infrastructure and the establishment of effective law enforcement and good governance. We have also been working with the Afghan Interim Administration to implement the decree banning opium production issued by Chairman Karzai on 3 April. We have been encouraging other members of the international community to provide similar support.