Dmitry Litvinovich: Hamid Karzai in Washington: Will there be results?

The head of the Afghan interim government, Khamid Karzai, arrived in the USA with the work visit. Karzai is to conduct negotiations with George Bush in the White House today, to discuss the participation of the United States in restoring peace and security in Afghanistan, as well as the issue of the economic assistance.

Karzai has recently had a meeting with the representative of the Afghan society in the USA, and called upon them to return to Afghanistan, since the country was in strong need of the qualified and skilful personnel. Karzai promised to root out gangsterism and corruption in the country and to establish law and order. Karzai advised that the Afghan emigrants, who became the citizens of other countries, would have the dual citizenship, if they came back to their motherland.

Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah said that the negotiations in Washington would touch upon the problem of Afghanistan as it is – the issues of security and stability first and foremost.

The Americans have their own point of view on the score. A spokesman for George Washington University said that Karzai was expecting the USA administration to confirm their long-term interest in the future of Afghanistan. The USA and other countries of the West abandoned Kabul after the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from Afghanistan, and Karzai would not like something like that to repeat again.”

The USA feels the burden of the oil dependence from the countries of the Persian Gulf. That is why it will try to cast that oil yoke off at any possible moment. The oil reserves of the Asian republics of he former USSR are similar to the ones of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Afghanistan may help America in that respect.

There is no need to worry for Karzai: the USA’s long-term presence in the region , and in particular in Afghanistan, will be guaranteed. The American investments in the economy of the country, in the fuel and energy complex, as a rule, is a completely different issue, and there can be certain difficulties in this respect. The American financial tycoons are not going to invest a cent in the Afghan economy, until there is stability, law and order in the country. The statements from the head of the Afghan government to bring those things back sound somehow unconvincing against the background of the negative information, coming from the country.

The local Pashtun leaders demand the USA should stop the bombing of Afghanistan, claiming they are useless. Furthermore, there are a lot of armed group, operating on the territory of the country, and they are not going to obey anyone.

It should also be mentioned that there is a real war taking place between the Uzbeks and Tajiks in the north of Afghanistan. It has been going on for two weeks already – between the followers of the Uzbek General Dostum and the Afghan Defense Minister, General Mohammad Fahim. Is it a local conflict, or will there be other Northern Alliance representatives involved in it? It is hard to say for sure.

Dmitry Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov