7 April 2005
Defence Minister addresses Afghanistan aid conference
New Zealand's commitment to providing relief, reconstruction and longer-term development assistance to Afghanistan was
reaffirmed by Minister of Defence Mark Burton at an international aid conference in Afghanistan this week.
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Mr Burton made this commitment at the Afghanistan Development Forum on Monday attended by representatives of nations
providing relief assistance to Afghanistan.
Following the conference address, Mark Burton held a series of top level meetings including with President Karzai, Vice
President Masood, Foreign Minister Dr Abdullah, and Deputy Defence Minister Dr Nouristani. He also called on UN
Secretary General Special Representative Jean Arnault, the Commander Combined Forces - Afghanistan Lieutenant General
Barno, NATO Senior Representative in Afghanistan Hikmet Cetin and Major General Kamiya.
Mark Burton told the conference that New Zealand's approach was based on integrating security and humanitarian
interventions and above all on being responsive to needs expressed by Afghan local authorities and people, he said.
"New Zealand's aid and development agency, NZAID, has allocated NZ$5 million for ongoing reconstruction assistance for
the 2004/05 year (in addition to a NZ$2million reallocation). This is on top of NZ$8 million which has been allocated
since 2001."
This funding was channelled through the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) based in Bamian, United Nations
agencies and non-government organisations.
The extension of the deployment of New Zealand's PRT in Bamian for a further year, until September 2006 would enable the
New Zealand Defence Force to build on the very good progress that was being made there, he said.
"The PRT represents a sizeable commitment for New Zealand, costing over NZ$80 million for the three-year deployment.
"It is our hope that such measures will incrementally contribute to the building of the secure environment necessary to
ensure that Afghans themselves are able to take hold of their future.
"We are all conscious of the need to achieve tangible improvements in the quality of life of Afghan people. A long-term
commitment by the international community, in conjunction with the vision and leadership of the Afghan people, will see
further progress in the key areas securing Afghanistan's future."
In addition to attending the conference and bi-lateral meetings Mark Burton visited New Zealand Defence Force personnel
deployed in Afghanistan, including overnighting at New Zealand's PRT base in Bamian.
ENDS