Sub-title: Military action will
not end crisis in Afghanistan
Author:
Publications: The Times of India
Dated: October 23, 2001
Moscow: Russia on Monday pledged
its support for the Northern Alliance as the "sole legitimate government"
and signed a statement with ousted Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani
on "the need to find a political solution for Afghanistan".
Meanwhile, many countries, including
China and Russia, called for a switch from military action in Afghanistan
to political efforts, even as the US bombardment of the country entered
its third week.
While expressing their support for
the US fight against terrorism, Washington's aides emphasised that the
aim of the American military campaign which began on October 7 was above
all to destroy the network of Osama bin Laden and any overlap with Afghanistan's
ruling Taliban regime.
"We will never overcome the problems
of Afghanistan by military means," Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov
said. Speaking to CNN, Pakistan's Gen Pervez Musharraf expressed the hope
that the US - British strike against Afghanistan would come to an end before
Ramadan and called for restraint if it continued during the Muslim holy
month, which begins in November.
Gen Musharraf said," One would hope
for restraint during the month of Ramadan because this would certainly
have some negative effect on the Muslim world. Gen Musharraf said he hoped
that the US would achieve its military objectives so that the strikes could
come to an end "as fast as possible".
However, he reaffirmed Pakistan's
support for the anti-terrorism coalition as long as it lasted, saying his
nation would stand beside the US for "as long as it took to achieve the
desired result".
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir
Putin, during a brief visit to the Tajik capital Dushanbe, said the Taliban
regime in Kabul could have no role to play in a future Afghan government
as it had "compromised itself by providing their territory to the international
terrorist network and there is no place for them in the new broad-based
coalition".
Mr. Putin signed a joint statement
with his Tajik counterpart, Emamali Rakhmonov, and Mr. Rabbani "on the
need to find a political solution for Afghanistan". "All the ethnic groups
should take part in forming the next Afghan government," the declaration
released by the Kremlin press office said.
It said the formation of the new
government in Kabul should involve a stronger role for the United Nations
and "all foreign governments". (Agencies)
