By Xinhua
Budapest : Hungarian Foreign Affairs Spokesman Gyorgy Odze confirmed that Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz avoided a roadside bombing targeted against her in Afghanistan on Friday, MTI News Agency reported.
Goncz, who concluded a two-day trip to Afghanistan on Thursday with a visit to Hungarian troops stationed in Pul-i-Khumri in Baghlan Province in the northern part of the country, had to fly in to Baghlan by helicopter from Mazar-i-Sharif, after a warning from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) that she had been targeted for an attack. While Goncz avoided the bomb, ISAF forces moved in, found the explosives and defused them.
Goncz eventually returned safely to Mazar-i-Sharif by car after her helicopter broke down.
The spokesman was unable to say why Goncz had been targeted, but noted that the Hungarian forces were very popular among Afghan residents. “They have an excellent relationship with the local people who treat them as friends,” he said.
“Throughout the trip we were aware that it was dangerous, but for us it was much more important to confirm our commitment to assisting Afghanistan,” Odze said.