By KUNA,
Paris : A major international conference of some 84 delegations opened Thursday in Paris to muster political and economic support for the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and examine ways to improve aid structures for his country.
The conference was officially opened by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the company of Karzai and is also co-presided by United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon.
There are 65 national delegations and 17 institutions and NGOs attending.
Kuwait is represented at the gathering by Deputy Director-General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) Hisham Al-Wqayan and Waleed Al-Bahar who is Regional Director for Central-Asian and European Countries at KFAED.
Other delegates include US First Lady Laura Bush and US Secretary-of-State Condoleezza Rice.
Most of the delegations are at the level of foreign minister, a French diplomat said.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is presiding the day’s events alongside the Afghan and UN co-presidencies.
Karzai is seeking a commitment from the international community for around USD 50 billion over a five-year period, including USD 14.1 billion in security spending for the period, but sources here said this figure is not likely to be attained.
At best, Afghanistan might get a two-year commitment for around USD 20 billion.
A review of previous pledges made in London and Tokyo at earlier conferences is expected.
Afghans complain that only USD 15 billion of a promised USD 25 billion has been disbursed.
The United States announced Wednesday that it will pledge USD 10 billion during Thursday’s event, while the World Bank, one of the 17 financial institutions and NGOs attending, said it will give USD 1.1 billion.
Some countries, in particular Afghanistan, have been sharply critical of the way assistance is administered and delivered to Afghanistan and they say up to 40 percent goes back out of the country to pay donors’ administrative costs and for intermediaries.
UN sources told KUNA that there is an awareness of the problem and there is a move to “streamline and rationalize” the aid structures and this could take place at the end of June or in early July, with a greater role in the process for the UN mission in Afghanistan.
Beyond financing, the conference will also be called upon to give a clear message of political support to the embattled government of Karzai, who faces elections later this year in a climate of growing Taliban violence, accusations of corruption and mismanagement and ongoing drug trafficking.
While security is not the focal point of Thursday’s discussions, it is a subject that will be addressed.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has almost 50,000 troops under its command in Afghanistan, but is finding it difficult to defeat Taliban militants who resorted to urban bombings, roadside attacks using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), and a widespread campaign against government representatives and inhabitants under their rule in rural areas.