U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said at Afghanistan conference held in Geneva Tuesday that decisions made in Doha will affect the size and scope of the future international engagement in Afghanistan.
Secretary Pompeo said his country remains committed to its “enduring partnership” with the war-ravaged country and helps Doha negotiations be “successful”.
He emphasized that achievements gained since 2001 should be maintained—“all countries and organizations” must help this. But in return he said the Afghan government “must also do its part”.
He illustrated that he was talking about “economic reforms; real anti-corruption efforts, including drug interdiction; respect for human rights, including religious freedom; a welcome environment for the private sector; and steps toward self-reliance.”
The U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale said via video link at the conference that his country vowed $600 million in aid for next year, but half of it will be conditional on progresses in peace talks.
“We stand ready to support Afghanistan,” said Mr. Hale Tuesday at the conference. “And to that end we have made available $600 million for civilian assistance needs in 2021. We are pleased to pledge today $300 million of that money, with the remaining $300 million available as we review progress in the peace process.”
Germany, another foreign donor, made a conditional pledge of 430million euros for 2021, stressing its contribution for the next four years would be based on progresses made in the peace process.
The international fundraising conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, ended late Tuesday night, with donors pledging over $13 billion in civilian aid to Afghanistan over the next four-year period.
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