Afghanistan Expects Bigger Korean Role
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
The Afghanistan ambassador expressed appreciation for Korea's assistance in reconstruction projects in his country, hoping to see a bigger role for Korea in Afghanistan.
"We believe Korea can play a bigger role in promoting peace, stability and reconstruction of Afghanistan. And it's a suitable time for Korea as an economic power which traveled a long distance in a short period of time with good development plans," Ambassador Mohammad Karim Rahimi said in an interview with The Korea Times.
The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973. They severed formal relations in 1978, but resumed them in 2002.
Since then, Korea has been more of a supporter and donor than a trade partner or investor to the war-torn nation.
Korea has made financial pledges for Afghan reconstruction projects through international channels where the basic framework of rehabilitation was discussed.
Korean troops were deployed in 2002 as part of the International Security Assistance Force under the command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and stayed until last December.
Korea decided not to renew the deployment.
Asked about the Korean government's decision to pull out its troops, the ambassador said it was in accordance with the previous schedule. But he left a wishful thought for Korean participation, saying security is still the biggest challenge in Afghanistan, and it would be solved effectively by the presence of the international community.
Nearly 40 (NATO and some non-NATO) countries have a military presence in Afghanistan under the UN resolution working for reconstruction and stability of the war-torn country.
The ambassador said Afghanistan people would welcome any type of assistance in their efforts to rebuild the country, ranging from constructing infrastructure and institutions to training people.
In addition to financial support and troop deployment, Korea implemented a number of health projects, an IT and vocational training institute and ran job training programs through the Korea International Cooperation Agency since 2002.
Last month, the Korean government announced it would dispatch a dozen policemen to Afghanistan for training purposes.
In June 2008, member states of G8, neighboring countries and other countries that have contributed to Afghan reconstruction will meet at the Paris Conference.
Participants will discuss the Afghan government's achievements, challenges and problems and effective ways to implement the Afghanistan National Development Strategy.
Similar conferences on Afghanistan were held in the past, including meetings in Tokyo, Berlin and London.
Korea has sent a delegation to each conference.
The ambassador said six years of reconstruction, in which the international community was involved, had been remarkable, getting the country and people back to normality.
"We have made good achievements, but we still have a long way to go," he said.
He stressed terrorist threats in Afghanistan were a threat to the region and, at large, to the world, implying full-fledged action against it on the international level is needed to tackle the problem.
"Terrorism is an enemy of humankind. No matter where you live, in Korea, the U.S. or France. As human beings we need to join our hands to get rid of the common enemy."
As the new ambassador filling a long-time-absence of the head of mission at the embassy, Rahimi was firm in his voice when it came to the abduction of Koreans last year.
The Afghan ambassadorial post was vacant for nearly 15 months. Rahimi arrived in Korea in January.
He said, "Kidnapping of the Korean citizens was organized by the enemy of Afghanistan. Not by the people of Afghanistan. Terrorism is not an Afghanistan-related issue, not an Afghanistan-related phenomenon."
In July last year, 23 Korean church missionaries were abducted. Their prolonged captivity for almost two months saw the deaths of two.
Rahimi said the incident must not shake the bilateral relationship or individual level of friendship.
"That doesn't serve our purpose. It serves theirs (terrorists)," whose goal through those series of kidnappings are to degrade Afghan diplomacy with other countries, the ambassador said.
Afghanistan was ruled by the Taliban regime for a little over two decades, but the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 led the U.S. military to invade Afghanistan, ousting the Taliban.